


Project R.E.D.

by Excalipur



Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Furry (Fandom), Original Work
Genre: Cat, Gen, Human, Monster - Freeform, Not A Fanfiction, Rated Everyone 10+ for mild violence and light swearing, This is a full-fledged novel, avian - Freeform, dragon - Freeform, rabbit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-08-19 04:24:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 94,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8189848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Excalipur/pseuds/Excalipur
Summary: This is a story about a young prince fleeing from his torn country, seeking refuge against his will in a foreign world whilst waiting for a chance at redemption... but do not be mistaken: this is hardly your stereotypical fantasy bildungsroman. This is a story about facing difficult adversities, establishing fruitful friendships, facing one's own fears accompanied by your--you know what? This is a fantasy bildungsroman!However, does a coming-of-age romance have expertly-crafted battles and action-sequences? Japanese high-school levels of drama and idiocy? A talking cat who takes every chance they have at breaking the fourth wall? I think not! For this is an unconventional story indeed, mixing old and new, fantasy and reality, common sense and dank memes... all in a way nobody thought to (or rather, dared to) do before!So come on in, and join our eloquent protagonist and his band of weird friends and allies as they attempt to save not one, but TWO worlds at once, whilst simultaneously facing their own demons and a whole lot of random monsters and antagonists! I truly do hope this story can... entertain you...





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Among the stone walls of your castle, you ran. Clinging on to a desperate hope, striving to save all you could, you kept running in the direction of your inevitable doom...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I have not uploaded here in a while... and truth be told, I have not been working on my novel for two weeks either... I kind of feel like I should apologize for both.  
> So, this is my apology: the revamped version of the first chapter of my novel, modified to both better every single word and sentence within it and fit into the new narrative I imagined. Also, since in the past I kind of jumped between the story being a recollection of past events and the story being narrated as it unfolded, I finally settled for the former: I think this is a great improvement, since it will allow me plenty of room to work with on certain topics and descriptions.
> 
> Bear in mind that it will take a long while for me to finish rewriting every chapter written so far: in fact, I have yet to start working on Chapter 3 (will do right after I finish publishing this work), and this writer's block is truly killing my estro... but I have faith in myself. I will work it out. Eventually. Somwhere in the future. Hopefully. Eh, do not count on it. -w-  
> Meanwhile, please do enjoy what I have written so far. Chapter 2 will be released eventually as well, hopefully sometime soon. I am working with a team of beta-readers (which are kind of slacking off at the moment, but I suppose I cannot blame them...) to bring you the best quality at our disposal for your pure entertainment. I will pull this off, mark my words.
> 
> Have fun! =3

            _My name is Red Blaze. I am a fire dragon, and the heir to the throne of my kingdom, Flammaria... but you will learn more about that soon enough, I suppose. Allow me to get straight to the point: recently, an 'acquaintance' of mine asked me to write down on this paper everything that is related to that ‘adventure’, as they called it, that I went on well over a year ago; they already asked all those who were with me at the time for their own side of the story and are now eagerly awaiting my own. I suppose you are as well, considering that you are taking time out of your day to learn more about me. Shall we begin then? Everything started on a dreadful Sunday afternoon, during the month of the year you humans call 'September'..._

 

            “My Lord, over here!” I heard Sol's powerful, dreadfully imposing voice call me. I would have liked to answer something to let her know I was coming, but after brief consideration I deemed it completely unnecessary. We needed not break our concealment, but the urgency of our task forced us to run anyway, although I feared it was hardly enough; I wished I could use my wings to move instead, but Sol wanted me not to overwork them in case I had to run from something more tangible than time.

            The beautiful marble walls all around me did not seem so marvellous any more, especially knowing they were going to be painted crimson red soon. One after another, we hastily traversed plenty of empty hallways that, mere hours before, were overflowing with people: there used to be dragons walking and flying around, nobles talking between themselves about politics and what not, kids playing games and floating around joyously, guards quietly observing the scene from the corners of the room... but now, there was no-one around. It was just me and Sol, though I suspected the situation would have quickly worsened if we had not sped our pace.

            “Be quick and silent, my Lord. We do not want the enemy to realize where we are and what we are doing.” my retainer said raspingly, reminding me with her habitual diligence to make my feet as light as a feather.

            “Of course; the same applies to you.” I returned as I turned to face my retainer who, despite attempting to seem as calm and distanced as physically possible, could not hide just a slight ounce of fear in her eyes. Knowing her, that fear was most likely directed at me, and not at what we were actually trying to save, the kingdom; although, if we proved to not be fast enough, she would have undoubtedly lost both.

            The thunder dragon Sol had been my retainer ever since I... well, ever since I needed one: she had served both me and my father dutifully, with more zeal and efficiency than any other servant could ever hope to possess. Even though she was from a different tribe, my own being the fire tribe, my father trusted her with his own life, and so did I. She was thoughtful, resourceful, very powerful, and quite beautiful as well to be honest. Her tall yellow body, her long golden hair, her cold yellow eyes: I always dreamt of them when I began transitioning into an adult. Needless to say, I once had a crush on her… but that is irrelevant, and I am digressing as usual: what's important is that, had she not accompanied me to my destination, perhaps I would have never reached it in the first place.

            “My Lord, perhaps we should rest for an instant or two.” Sol kindly advised me after navigating a couple more corridors, “Your breath is beginning to waver, and your legs are not as trained as your wings: perhaps you should stop and regain your stamina before continuing with our mission.”

            “And allow the enemy to catch us by surprise? I am sorry Sol, but I cannot afford to waste any more time: every single second is precious now. Every moment we spend regaining some of our strength is a moment that could make the difference between this kingdom's survival and its complete destruction.” I replied, dead-set on finding whatever my father so mysteriously spoke about.

“Of course, my Lord. I will not trouble you any further on this matter.” she quickly replied after rightfully sighing at my needlessly stoic attitude.

            'What were you looking for anyway?', you may ask; well, truth be told I was unsure, but I knew Sol was aware of it since her and my father spoke in private for a short while before sending me on my quest. However, when I asked her immediately afterwards what we needed to find, she simply answered 'It is complicated to explain.' and cut the conversation short. I wondered why she acted so oddly, but in the end it did not bother me: I was not interested in, nor had time for the technical details anyway.

            Now, returning to my mission: we somehow managed to completely avoid the battle going on in the main hall, either by skill or, most likely, by sheer luck. That secret passage we used in the castle's kitchen, hidden behind an armour statue that, admittedly, was definitely out of place, had surely been a blessing by the Gods: without it, we would have never been able to sneak past the enemy battalions undetected. I wondered how Sol knew about its existence when I did not, but I decided not to dwell too much on it and focus on the task at hand: after all, my father could have very well been the one to inform her of that hidden passageway.

            As we reached a point directly below the main hall itself, I began hearing violent noises coming from above: the familiar sound of incinerating fire, the rough noise of thunder exploding without control, the dying cries of people whose lives had been ended; I would have loved to believe the latter belonged to the enemy forces, but deep within I knew they were not: after all, the enemy's numbers were overwhelming. The castle's garrison and my father's personal guards may have been strong and valiant, but they were all but invincible: it was only a matter of time before all the sword-wielding dragons in the castle were eradicated; afterwards, it would have been the defenceless ones' turn.

            “We are about to reach the entrance to the dungeon.” Sol whispered to me, careful not to make any noise that could have alerted the enemies above us of our position “Have you ever been down there?” she asked me, preoccupied for some reason.

            “You should know the answer to that question.” I replied, confused; “No, I have never been in the depths down below... why are you asking, exactly?” I then inquired, interested.

            “Oh, nothing. I was merely trying to converse.” she responded, leaving me perplexed at such a blatant lie; I then heard a sigh of relief leaving her jaws, making me question furthermore whatever she had planned in her impenetrable mind: I briefly considered she could have wanted to... betray me, but I banished that thought from my head immediately and wondered how it even got in. Sol would have never betrayed me. I refused to believe that.

            I was about to try to force her to explain herself more clearly, but I realized we had practically reached our destination: a massive, rusted iron fence stood at the end of a poorly-lit hallway, sealing the entrance to a dark cavern that led deep beneath the castle's foundations. None had ever entered that place ever since it was discovered, which once again made me suspicious of the dragoness' inquiry on whether I had ever entered it on my own before.

            The dungeon below the castle was a place my father never wanted me to venture into, for whatever reason. I had explored my castle countless times as a cub, but that place had always been forbidden to me and my father never explained to me the reason why; it sounded even more suspicious when I considered he dearly loved to explain things to me, especially dangerous ones. However, that warning was hardly necessary: the entrance to the keep had been sealed since time immemorial by that lone, simple fence. Whoever placed it either did not care about protecting the dungeon at all... or thought nobody could be foolish enough to venture into it in the first place.

            As soon as we reached said fence I asked my retainer how, exactly, did she plan to open it. “Certainly not through a key or a dumb magic word.” she answered as she drew her spear from the sheath on her back and began slowly cutting the iron bars with it; “It will take some time, but I believe I can free the path. I am counting on you in case our enemies were to find us.” she added as she finished cutting the first bar and moved on to the next.

            A half of me hoped the enemy stayed clear of the area, fearful we might be overwhelmed... the other thirsted for a direct chance at revenge. Just to be sure, I unsheathed my sword, 'Honour', from its golden decorated scabbard: the expertly crafted longsword had been my ancestors' pride for generations, who never lost while brandishing it. Its grey blade, made out of a material unknown to dragonkind, never required repairs, for it was stronger than any other metal; it was so strong, in fact, that it could cut common iron swords as if they were paper. It was decorated by seven shining gems: a red ruby, an orange garnet, an azure aquamarine, a purple amethyst, a blue sapphire, a yellow topaz and a green emerald; the gemstones had been brought from all over Draconia and inserted in this order along the centre of the blade itself. The gemstones were said to gift and inspire courage and determination, bravery, purity, perseverance, loyalty, sense of justice, and kindness respectively and my father told me they had been enchanted by the very founder of our kingdom, the strongest warrior and pyromancer in the history of Draconia, to shine and burn whenever a malevolent presence was nearby... which was exactly what was happening in that very moment!

            I looked forward, towards the stairs that led to the upper floors: a platoon of yellow-scaled armoured dragons was charging towards us, spears drawn. I had never seen thunder dragons before, apart from Sol of course, and I spent a few instants analysing them before initiating combat. Their bodies were somewhat smaller and less intimidating than my own and their smaller wings were unsuitable for aerial combat against foes such as myself, but their sinuous spines made them far more agile and difficult to hit on land; their faces also possessed a handful of features that you might consider 'snake-like': for example, they had forked tongues and small, vertical pupils.

            Apart from said differences, they still were dragons at heart; still, they were the enemy, and invading my kingdom had signed their death sentence. I prepared myself for battle, ready to deliver justice to those malevolent criminals.

 

[ **1-01 – Glorious Battle** – “Time Machine” by Waterflame (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ1L9JD6l0g)]

 

            As all Flammarian heirs before me, I too had been instructed on everything there is to know about the art of war: I had hated all those theoretical studies, but at least now I knew what I was up against. A standard Thundarian platoon, I recalled, was divided in two groups: an air squad and a land squad, exactly what I was gazing upon. Needless to say, the dragons in the land squad did not have wings... which would have put them at a severe disadvantage against me had it not been for their flying brethren who supported them from above. I needed to eliminate the winged dragons before moving on to the wingless ones... but the enemy's long spears would have made it difficult for me to approach them. As such, before doing anything else, I decided to rely on the psychological factor.

            “You invaded my kingdom, slaughtered my men... do you truly think these crimes will remain unpunished!?” my furious voice echoed throughout the corridor, almost paralysing my incoming attackers on the spot; my body began burning on its own, engulfing me in my own flames as I channelled the strength to destroy my enemies.

“I shall show you what real power truly is! For Flammaria! **Volcanic barrage!** ” I roared as fireballs as red as the flames of Hell itself were shot from the inferno that I had turned into: it only took them a few instants to cover the entire room's distance, reaching the Thundarians before they could escape. Despite their best attempts to avoid my superior firepower, all my targets were hit and blasted away as they cried in pain, their bodies consumed by the flames; definitely a step forward from cooking raw meat with my fiery breath, do you not think so?

            The battle was not over yet though, as around ten opponents still remained on the ground, determined to fight me despite witnessing the demise of their friends and comrades. They were courageous, I will give them that... but that courage was destined to die quickly.

            Since my spirit was still recovering from casting that spell, I charged the enemy platoon myself, diving madly right into their wall of spears with my trusty sword by my side, trusting my instinct to lead me to victory: as the now terrorized dragons raised their spears, hoping to impale me like meat on a skewer, I slashed horizontally with my blade and cut quite a few of their iron lances as if they were nude flesh, causing my enemies to further whimper in fear.

            My head filled solely with the desire for revenge, I thrust my sword deeply within the chest of my nearest enemy, breaking his armour on the spot with my superior blade and prompting blood aplenty to bleed out of his open wound, killing him on the spot; a similar fate befell those whose weapons I broke, who were quickly disposed of via a powerful spin move.

            One of my remaining opponents, who evidently knew nothing of his own weapon, tried to slash me from above... with a spear. Can you imagine it? Honestly, I never brandished a lance in my life, but even I could tell that's not how you are supposed to use one. Still, the sharp end of it was quickly and powerfully descending on my unprotected visage, so I used my weapon to shield me from it before rudely shoving the unprepared soldier, sending him flying backwards against the wall; as this happened, another offhanded soldier came up from behind me and, instead of using his spear like he evidently was not taught to, attempted to bite my shoulder with his thankfully small and not very sharp teeth: although my armour did not fully protect me from that unconventional attack, I easily managed to deal him a powerful blow in the ribs with my elbow, forcing him to let go of me and allowing me to end his pitiful life with a powerful swipe of my sword.

            The rest of the Thundarian platoon, whose members could now be counted on my right hand's fingers, did their best to defend themselves from my onslaught, but it was all in vain: my strict education as the prince of Flammaria gifted me its fruits for the first time, allowing me to dispatch that group of invaders easily and hastily, costing me only a bite on the shoulder and an insignificant chest wound inflicted by the very last dragon I killed; of course, at the time my pride prevented me from realizing how poorly-trained those poor dragons were, and fully believed I had to thank myself and myself only for my victory.

            Still, that battle had been harder than anything I had ever fought before, but I did manage to come out of it almost entirely unscathed: most of the enemy platoon had been either killed in rather painful ways or was still rolling on the ground, attempting to extinguish fires that were bound to eat their lives away; just then I noticed that a few of them, who had somehow escaped from my furious flames, were trying to run for the exit, quite cowardly if I may add. With a flick of my finger, fires erupted from below the feet of said cowards, blasting them apart: my father had taught me mercy, yes, but not for dragons who so foolishly fled from their fate. Mercy has to be earned, not handed freely.

            “Justice has been served...” I mumbled as I put my sword back in its scabbard: even though that was but a mere platoon, and an inexperienced one as well from the way they fought, I was still happy to have contributed to the defence of my kingdom.

            “My Lord!” Sol called me from the other side of the room, a semblance of worry on her scaly face “Are you alright? Did they harm you?”

            “Only barely, and it hardly stings.” I replied as I made my way towards the dungeon's entrance before showing my retainer how insignificant those flesh wounds truly were.

            After fulfilling her duties as my retainer, Sol pointed at the hole in the wall and at the remains of the fence that once blocked access to it “The path is clear, shall we enter?”

            “Indeed we shall.” I replied, my determination to find the source of my kingdom's salvation renewed “Let's hope this nuisance did not sap too much precious time...”

 

            “Was it really necessary to kill those fleeing dragons?” Sol asked me, still as calm as ever.

            “We both know the King of Thundaria is vile and brutal, and this surprise attack on our capital is yet another proof of that: there is no way those dragons would have been spared after failing to apprehend me, the prince. I would like to think I did them a favour, but whether that is true or false does not concern me in the least.” I immediately replied; she seemed satisfied with my answer, and did not inquire any more.

            We were delving further below the castle and, honestly, it was not a pleasurable experience: the space around us was very little and, in fact, I myself had to crouch to avoid hitting the ceiling with my horns; not only that, but the air was scarce as well and I was feeling a bit dizzy due to that. Keeping a flame alive in my hand in order to let us see where we were going was definitely not helping, but we did not have a choice. I did not know how Sol herself was coping, but I hoped she was doing better than me: I would have liked to ask her whether she was feeling fine, but I feared she would have lied to me like always so I regrettably did not.

            We had been descending for ten minutes at least. We were venturing far, far below the castle and the cliff it stood on and I believe we were almost on the same level of height as the town surrounding it, if not even lower; 'How old is this place, exactly?', I wondered, but my mind provided me no answer. From the amount of cracks I could see in the walls and from the countless patches of moss that littered the ground, however, I definitely could tell that this place had existed for a long time before I was born.

            Eventually, the staircase ended in a bigger, darker opening: when I was a whelp, I believed that dungeon to be populated by all sorts of monsters and beasts of unfathomable power, but that did not appear to be the case: a long corridor, just as rotten as the staircase that led us here, was instead standing imposingly before us. I wondered if what we were looking for lied beyond the small wooden door at the end of it; most doors in my castle were made of stone and iron since trees were scarce in Flammaria’s mostly volcanic environment, so that one door seemed awfully out of place to my eyes.

            Before I could venture further in, Sol grabbed me rather impolitely and ordered me “Go on without me.”

Taken aback by her sudden order, I replied, scared by what she might have been implying “What? Why should I ever do that?”

            “I can hear soldiers heading towards our location.” she responded, turning to face the stairs; now that she mentioned it, I too could hear some noises coming from up above: however, judging from the amount of clanking and hisses that the echo allowed us to hear, that did not seem like a mere platoon... it sounded more like an entire battalion! Could she really take on all those soldiers by herself?

            “I will not let you face them alone.” I responded, angered by her decision “We will hold our ground together and send all those Thundarians to Hell!”

            “My Lord, please understand.” she replied, not minimally fazed “If the enemy is sending even a single battalion down here, they must already know of our position, which means they will send even more backup troops in case these ones do not return: fighting for the mere purpose of winning is utterly useless at present.” she did have a point, I had to admit to myself: we were currently cornered, unless there was a way out of the dungeon: if we were to keep on fighting the incoming enemies, we would have eventually lost all our energy and died without a doubt.

            “I will try to buy you some time to find the artefact, but I doubt I can provide you more than a few minutes.”; an ‘artefact’, I repeated to myself... well, at least now I knew what I was looking for, sort of: what was this 'artefact'? Was it a magical object? An ancient mechanism? How could I discern one from meaningless junk, or from a wrong one? And what was I supposed to do once I found it?

            Either way, what Sol was suggesting was, looking back, the correct course of action: I had to find the artefact in time and save my kingdom. _That_ was my priority. As much as I would have liked to join my retainer in battle, I was afraid I would have had to wait: “Do not let this scum overpower you, Sol: I would surely die of sadness knowing you gone.” I wished her good luck, in my own way.

            “The sentiment is shared, my Lord.” she replied, still not cracking a smile; “Now go!” she pointed her golden, sharp, beautifully decorated lance at the entrance, ready to intercept any and all enemies that dared to descend into the dungeon: I was grateful to know that, with Sol blocking the way, the Thundarian army would not have passed beyond that point, but I was also, to be frank, quite disappointed for not being able to support her.

            I flew all the way across the room, not caring any more about conserving my stamina: I needed to find whatever lied in this place as fast as I could. I opened the door, hoping that whatever I was looking for stood just beyond it... but, instead, I found yet another corridor, seemingly identical to the one I had just traversed; in fact, it looked like it was the exact same one. Same cracks in the wall, same holes in the stone floor: ‘Is this just a coincidence? Am I supposed to keep going?’, I wondered, once again without finding a real answer. The door behind me closed by itself as soon as I entered the room, blocking me inside; hardly a concern, I thought, since I did not want to turn back anyway.

            Corridor, after corridor, after corridor... it seemed that hallway went on forever. I still felt a bit dizzy, even though the space around me was wider than before and the air was enough for me to breathe easily, and I did not know if to attribute this sudden headache to stress or to something else. For some reason, I was almost afraid, as if something could jump on me at any given moment, so I kept myself prepared for anything: perhaps that place was not as uninhabited as I originally thought. I powered the flame in my hand as much as I could, but it was still not enough to show the entire room; not only that, I had the impression the shadows were ‘moving’, as if afraid of the light my blaze emitted.

            I could take that no longer: I unsheathed Honour and yelled as loudly as a crying child “Whatever you are, wherever you are, show yourself!”; something answered my call: the shadows began shifting, I could feel them moving all around me. The light I was fuelling was faltering even though I was not doing anything... something paranormal was definitely going on.

            Without any warning, something hit me from behind: it felt like sharp claws, but when I quickly checked I discovered no wound, nor bleeding. Had I imagined it? I did not think so: the pain was very, very real.

            Before I could find out what just attacked me, I was hit once again: this time, not only did I feel pain, but... _fear_ as well, almost as if whatever hit me instilled fright within me merely by coming into contact with my skin. By then I hardly needed to feel artificial fear, considering how truly afraid I felt in that moment; I could never admit that weakness to myself, however. “I am not afraid...” I shouted to myself and to whatever was listening, “I am not afraid of anything!”

 

[ **1-03 – Eternal Fire** – “Chaotic” by Waterflame (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhN9OdjE4m4>)]

 

            “ **Heat Wave!** ” I shouted as I set aflame my own body and released the energy I had stored within all around me, illuminating the room for a brief second: after conjuring that decently-powerful spell, I immediately scouted the room to see what I was fighting with and saw... _it_. ‘It’ looked like a dark, armoured knight which leaked a black, disgusting, gooey substance from the wounds my attack caused: its body was similar in shape and size to my own and its helmet vaguely resembled a dragon’s skull, but otherwise the creature lacked any and all draconian features; moreover, I had an unsettling feeling that this monster did not belong in my world at all. Never before in my life had I seen such a despicable creature and no books in my libraries mentioned its existence or that of something even remotely similar. I once thought dungeons were inhabited by ghouls and goblins but _that_ , not even I could have expected.

            The creature ‘stared’ at me despite possessing no eyes, its twitchy movements making it even more disturbing until, suddenly, its helmet, or rather its mouth, opened up right in the middle showing dark fangs that were long, curved, sharp… utterly demonic: with those very same jaws it produced an angry, diabolical growl, which made me realize just how fierce the opponent before me was. Whatever that monster was, it needed to be put out of its misery post-haste.

            Taking advantage of the creature’s disoriented state, I breathed in all the air that I could and prepared my next attack: my lungs began pulsing with power as they turned the air I had stored into blazing fire, only for them to empty themselves as I roared at the creature, unleashing that flaming tornado almost uncontrollably and setting the entire room on fire. The creature could not help but growl in pain this time as more and more of that gooey substance dropped on the floor, evaporating into black mist soon afterwards.

            Despite all the damage I had caused, the enemy was still as resilient as it was earlier on and kept fighting back despite the fire that threatened to engulf it whole. The monster lunged at me with its claws and managed to hit me once more, causing even more fake pain and fear to fill my mind: for an instant, I felt my surroundings shift and turn into a burning city, full of corpses of dragons of all kinds and tribes and creatures similar to the one in front of me, threatening me with their malevolent presence... but the illusion disappeared a moment afterwards, confusing me immensely; as I attempted to forget those terrible images, I got hit once more by the unknown creature, whose strength caused me to roll on the ground in pain. I was now legitimately scared, those visions seemed extremely realistic and I could even feel the putrid smell of rotting corpses in my nasal cavities. Now was not the time to give in to fear and despair, however: now was the time to strike!

            I sliced the demon's chest with my sword, but it kept moving as if nothing even happened; after dodging their goo-dripping claws a couple more times I tried once more to harm them with my blade, only to fail yet again: my sword seemed incapable of dealing any real damage, despite its efficiency in dispatching enemies in my previous fight. I quickly realized that my sword was not the source of the problem, but the creature itself, which kept creating more of that black substance out of nowhere to replace that which my thrusts destroyed: if I did not do something, my demise was as clear as a gem.

            The demon backed away for an instant, but not to retreat: it summoned what I can only describe as an orb of dark energy in its right claw and launched it at me, aiming precisely at my heart. I chose to avoid the attack instead of blocking it, and the orb crashed into the wall behind me, exploding into a myriad of black pyres that died soon afterwards: I can only thank my instinct for doing the right thing at that time, for once, as I do not want to imagine the potency the impact of that projectile would have been had it hit me.

            However, the monster was far from over with me: with next to no effort whatsoever, it summoned more, smaller black orbs and launched them at me with ridiculous strength, forcing me to drop my own weapon in order to run fast enough to dodge some of them; one of the attacks, however, hit me straight in the chest, causing me to fly backwards helplessly as I suffered yet another dreadful vision: this time, I was in my own throne chamber, staring at the bodies of my father and Sol which hanged from an invisible ceiling and at... _him_.

            Before me stood the living body of none other than Sturm the Betrayer, the old king of Thundaria and perpetrator of that senseless invasion, whose only interest seemed to caress the lifeless body of Sol with his gauntleted claws; upon noticing me a second afterwards, he turned to face me, moving his no-longer golden locks with an erratic movement of the neck: after staring at me with his cold, horrendous pitch-black eyes the king's body started to gradually deform, soon turning into a grotesque parody of itself more similar to the creature I was fighting in that very moment, its fangs fully open and ready to swallow me whole...

            I managed to avoid the demon's lunge at the last possible second, but I could not help myself from falling to the ground from the exhaustion: my whole body ached, and my mind begged for a breather from all that senseless fear that monster was forcing into me, but there was nothing I could do to stop either pain... the only thing I could do was keep on fighting.

            I quickly stood up and dodged yet another assault from the monster, who had now switched back to a more feral combat style, before running to retrieve my trusted weapon and using it to fend off yet another wave of slashes.

            I had reached my limit, I could keep fighting like that no longer... I almost considered the option of giving up and face my imminent demise; but, just as I was about to throw my sword away and let the monster finish me off, I remembered the true reason why I was fighting: I remembered my father, my friends, my people and, most importantly, Sol, who was still fighting in the other room to protect me and allow me to finish my quest. That last thought in particular, for whatever reason, returned me all the strength that creature had syphoned from me and fuelled the ever-growing fire of vengeance burning within me.

            “This ends now, fiend!” I yelled at the creature, not sure whether it could understand me or not: I mustered all the courage I had and summoned all my strength, wanting to end the battle in that very moment with one last attack; unfortunately, I had to contain myself from using my strongest spell, since it was not designed to work in small spaces and would have most likely destroyed that very place with its potency... instead, I opted to use another powerful technique of mine, which I wanted to believe would have been just as effective against this wretched creature.

            I breathed on my weapon, infusing it with my own power of fire, then got in a battle stance: I was now ready to end this battle for good. **_“Burn in the flames of Hell!_ Blazing Blade!**” I yelled with all my might as I charged at the monster, sword in hand, ready to do what had to be done: the creature, now suddenly wary of me, attempted to defend itself with its wretched claws, but its guard was soon shattered by the sharpness of my blade and the heat of my flames.

            The monster emitted a loud cry of pain as the fire finally consumed its body, but despite all that it did not relent its assault and tried to hit me again, in vain: a couple more slashes of mine turned the creature into a living inferno, struggling to stay alive as more of that corrupted sludge detached from its body and fell to the ground, evaporating into dark mist as soon as it reached the floor. It was only a matter of seconds before the creature finally gave up and fell to the ground, leaving me to believe I had finally ended it.

 

            “All's well that ends well.” I finally said among a heavy breath and another as I let my guard down, put my sword back into its sheath and prepared to leave that accursed place “I hope your soul, if you even have one, can finally find peace, you wretched monstrosity...”

            My body still pained me immensely, but I somehow found the strength to limp towards the door leading to, I hoped, not another empty corridor... and so I did not notice something moving right behind me: I only heard it when it was already too close. I turned around, but it was too late: the creature had somehow survived, even after everything I had done to make sure otherwise, and had leapt towards me from above with its big, hollow fangs opened. I tried to unsheathe my sword, but there was no way I would have been able to defend myself before the monster could hit me: this time, I thought, I was done for sure…

            “ **Mystletainn!** ” I heard the familiar voice of a dragoness shout as the creature above me was drilled by countless thunderbolts, its body evaporating into black fumes before I could even realize what had happened. As soon as I did realize what had transpired I faced the direction of the entrance door, knowing there was only one dragon in my kingdom who could cast such a powerful incantation: Sol was standing right by the door, her right hand extended towards where the creature once was and the other pressing against her _now red stomach_...

            With my mind flooded with the darkest of thoughts, I rushed towards her to lend her my aid, screaming “Sol! Are you hurt?”; I asked her to show me her wound, which I found out was a simple spear wound, not too deep to be fatal: however, due to my inexperience in the healing arts, I could only do so much to help her. I sterilized the lesion with my fire and prayed to all the Gods that were listening she would survive long enough to be seen by a professional healer.

            “Do not worry my Lord... I will be fine.” she told me, refusing to admit to either of us her own weakness: if there’s one bad trait both me and my retainer shared, it was our insufferable pride; “Still... what was that thing that attacked you?” she then asked me, confused.

            “I am just as clueless as you are.” I answered, still unsure of what I just got assaulted by “Something followed me across all those rooms... but I could have never imagined I was being stalked by something so despicably rotten.”; meanwhile, I carried my retainer under my wing and helped her walk, as she appeared to have sustained some minor injuries to her legs as well.

            “What do you mean with 'across all those rooms'? I only had to go through the first door we saw to find you.” she replied, even more confused than before.

            “Curious... that creature must have done something to this dungeon... some kind of curse, perhaps. I hope it has lifted now that its conjurer has been defeated.” I replied, not knowing if there was anything else worthy of being said.

            My father never told me what lied in the dungeon, but I bet my whole treasure he would have told me if a demonic being such as the one we vanquished inhabited it... 'Perhaps not even he knows exactly what is down here?', I asked myself. Once again, I would have liked to ask my retainer what my father had told her... but I believed it would have been pointless now: after all, what we were looking for was very close by.

            After somehow making it all the way through the room, we hesitantly opened the door at the end of it, fearful of another unexpected surprise: the room ahead of us was much different than any I had ever seen in my life, but the calm atmosphere that permeated the air within brought me to believe it was not a trap of any kind. The walls were curved towards the centre of the hall and were surprisingly polished for a place as old as the dungeon they were in; not only that, but they were also decorated by shining runes that, though incomprehensible, at least contributed to lighting the room. The runes extended to the floor as well and led to what I presumed was an altar, standing in the middle of the chamber and made out of the same stones the room itself had been built with. Atop the altar sat a crystal globe, its purpose unknown: was that the artefact we were looking for?

            “A crystal globe... that appears to be the artefact the king mentioned...” Sol concluded as my spirit was lifted of a great burden: we did it, we truly did it. We had won. We had saved the kingdom... somehow.

            The dragoness advised me to let go of her and go get the relic by myself, a suggestion that I decided to follow: I left my retainer alone near the entrance to the room and ran for the artefact, my senses blinded by the relief I felt... only for me to fall into one of the greatest traps ever devised in Draconia. As soon as I entered the globe's near proximity, I felt like I had entered a different room; no, a different world entirely.

            I tried to turn back, suspecting the worse, only to find that what I can only describe as an invisible wall had closed behind me. I slashed the invisible barrier with everything I had, but the walls resisted my attacks, invincible. I shouted for my retainer to help me, but she did not do anything to aid me at all: in fact, her expression did not change one bit, almost as if she expected this to happen. And, as it turned out soon after, she did.

            “Sol! What are you waiting for!? Help me!” I yelled at her as she slowly walked towards me, careful not to enter the barrier I was blocked in.

            “I am afraid I cannot help you, my Lord.” she answered, causing my very heart and soul to be filled by real, spontaneous fear; “Before you ask, no, I am not betraying you.” she stated, clearing out my biggest doubt “In fact, I am following the King, your father's orders: he wants me to use this artefact to send you very far away, to a place our enemies will never be able to reach... and that is exactly what I am going to do.” she then added, confusing me immensely.

            “W-What!? You cannot possibly be serious!” I once again shouted “I am this kingdom's prince! If my fate is to die in battle, so be it... but I will not run away while my kingdom is torn apart! I refuse!”

            “Unfortunately, you cannot refuse.” she replied, still as calm as the sky before a storm “Normally I would agree with you, as I am under your direct command... but I cannot do such a thing under the current circumstances. You are this kingdom's future, this kingdom's heir: as long as you live, there is hope for your tribe and your people. I cannot risk you to die in this futile battle: this is the only way to ensure your safety.”; a tear fell from her left eye, the first I had ever seen her spill “To be fair, the King wanted me to join you as well, and although perhaps that is the smartest course of action to undertake, I cannot bring myself to do that. I am indebted to your father: the life I have led up until now is his greatest gift to me, and it can only be repaid with my own blood. I know it may sound selfish after everything I said, but...”

            “Selfish!? This is beyond the common meaning of selfishness!” I halted her “I will not allow you to throw your life to the wind and I will not allow you to proceed with father's plan! If my fate is to die, at least let me die honourably, not cowardly! As the prince of Flammaria, I order you to-”

            “It has been a pleasure serving you, my Lord. I promise to always watch over you in death, if that is what the Gods have in store for me.” she ended the conversation as more and more tears streamed down her eyes “Farewell, prince Red... may fate be kind to you.” I was too late to notice her throw what looked to me like a pendant towards me... no, towards the sphere behind me: I tried to catch it, but I was too slow and it reached the artefact before I could block it.

            The orb suddenly shined a blinding light, much stronger than that of the Sun or of any fire spell I had ever cast: I desperately tried to escape once more, but it was all in vain. The light eventually engulfed me wholly, making me feel as sleepy as a soldier who marched for a week straight and causing me to fall to the ground like a corpse devoid of life...

 

            I abruptly opened my eyes after what felt like an eternity asleep. The first thing I noticed was the sky, which looked very different from the one I was used to: more black and less red, if that makes sense. I wondered what all those beautiful white dots on its surface were; well, I suspect you already know what their names are. The 'stars'... what an incredible name; I wonder whether there are stars in my sky as well, beyond the thick layer of smoke that barely allows the light of the Sun to reach us.

            Anyway, returning to my narration: since I saw the sky before anything else, it meant I was laying on something, so I got up and took a look at my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was an immense monument right in front of me: from up close, it looked like two gigantic black spears attached to the centre of an even bigger white circle, with “I”s, “V”s and “X”s written all over it. The two spears, one longer than the other, were pointing towards two distinctive words: the shorter one was pointing towards the letter “X” and the longer one was pointing towards the letters “XII”. ‘Is it some kind of secret code?’ I wondered, ‘Or perhaps another foreign language? I do not recall ever studying anything like it…’.

What I did suddenly remember, however, was much more important than those insignificant words: the castle. The kingdom. 'What happened to them?', I practically screamed in my head.

            I scouted my surroundings from where I was, but saw no castle, no capital, no villages outside of robust walls, and no mountains, volcanoes or other geographical features that I could use to orient myself either: instead, in front of me stood lots of tall, transparent buildings of unknown purpose, cutting the sky like eternal swords stuck in the ground; they were certainly smaller than my castle, and much smaller than the tower I was now standing on as well, but the fact that there were so many of them in one place was indeed impressive. Around me also stood plenty of small but large buildings, their roofs and windows decorated like immense sculptures, including a fortress of some kind right below the tower and directly connected to it that was shaped like an empty rectangle with an immense courtyard; other, minuscule buildings, presumably houses, stood in the distance, along with other edifices of various heights and shapes that were too far away for me to be sure.

            It took me a short walk around the ledge of that monument I had awoken on to realize I was in the middle of a town like no other, a city much bigger than any my kingdom, if not the entire continent of Draconia, could ever hope to host. However, something bothered me even more than the unfamiliar surroundings I found myself in: 'Where are all the dragons?', I quietly asked myself. Cities are supposed to be full of people, but I could not see a single dragon flying in the sky: only birds of various colours and species seemed to inhabit it, and even they were scarce, most likely due to the time of day. Nevertheless, the unsettling quiet of that dark sky was quite frightening indeed, and my complete loneliness only made that restlessness a thousand times worse.

            “What is this place?” I then asked myself aloud, my own voice having become my only company “Am I... am I still in Draconia? Or am I somewhere else entirely?”; the wind that blew over my face stole my meek question, dragging it to the ends of the earth along with all hope I had left.

            Because if before I thought I had a small chance of somehow returning home, or whatever was left of it anyway, and set everything right, now I had nothing and no-one to cling to and nowhere to go. I will forever remember that moment as the instant in which I tasted the acidic taste of complete and utter defeat for the first time.

My true odyssey, however, had just begun.


	2. The Joker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stranded in a new world, your confusion and despair severely outweighed your hope. In order to regain your dreams, you would have needed someone else's help...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon me if realeasing this new chapter took more than expected, but I had truly forgotten to release it over here: hopefully this mistake does not happen ever again.
> 
> Chapter 3 is still way from finished, but in the meantime you can read this one and that which comes before it once more (which, by the way, I took the liberty of improving even more): enjoy! =3

_I left behind my family, my men, my kingdom... against my will, yes, but I still abandoned them nonetheless. They needed me... and I betrayed them, their hopes, and their expectations. And now, there I was: lost in a city which I never knew even existed, stranded in a world where I felt I did not belong... but if that was indeed my fate, then I was not going to accept it. And neither was someone else..._

 

            My initial suspicions about that 'deserted' city proved incorrect in the span of a few minutes: I thought it had been abandoned and turned into a ghost town, but I had to reconsider as soon as I saw _those_. I sincerely did not believe my eyes when I saw your ' _cars_ ' for the first time. You may be used to seeing them, running around like a swarm of fast, coordinated insects, but you ought to understand how unusual those small, coloured boxes that raced in the dimly-lit streets of that curious town were to me. At first I thought they were animals or monsters of some kind, and they did not convince me of the presence of a whole civilization living alongside them, but something else I discovered soon afterwards gave me newfound hope.

            After minutes spent trying to adapt my eyes to the darkness that surrounded me, I finally managed to spot multiple, minuscule, moving silhouettes lurking and walking everywhere I cast my gaze on, each of them minding their own business... however, it was very dark at the time, and your figures were everything I could (barely) see: you must pardon my ignorance and naiveté, but I honestly thought they were dragons of some kind. ‘But why are they walking instead of flying?’, I wondered. You had been granted such an immense space in which to fly, and none of you were enjoying it... 'Is there a reason behind their incredibly odd behaviour?', I asked myself.

            I had too many questions in my mind, that I knew, and was doing very little to answer them: if I wanted to better understand my situation, I needed to speak with someone... which meant leaving that immense tower and descending all the way to the ground. Easy, I thought; but just as I was about to launch myself from the ledge and do as I had planned, a small, furred hand that seemed to appear out of nowhere grabbed my shoulder and pushed me backwards, preventing me from doing so: I landed on my backside, quite embarrassingly if I have to be honest with myself, but I quickly got up to my feet and stood before the creature who dared to startle me so rudely.

            “If it were that easy to skip tutorials, don't you think everyone would do it?” the creature said, its voice incredibly different from that of any dragon; the sound behind their words was neither male nor female, but resembled that of a child in a sense: apart from that trait, it was... promiscuous, if I can even describe it as such, and the tone that accompanied those words was more sarcastic than I even thought possible. I failed to understand the meaning of those odd words, but at the moment I was more worried about the creature who had uttered them.

            I regained my lost composure and, fearing the worst, I unsheathed Honour, ready for combat: however, the being in front of me did not seem eager to fight: it just stood there, staring at me, inspecting me with an almost nightmarish grin. The creature had the same physique and body shape as I, although their height was somewhat smaller compared to my own and their physique was not that of a warrior; not only that, but plenty of differences distinguished that being from us dragons.

            First off, their skin: it was furry instead of scaly, but that I already told you; what truly intrigued me was its colour. The entirety of the creature's right side of the body was as black as the night, whilst the left side was as white as light itself; quite unusual, if I do say so myself. Instead of a snout, the creature sported a small, pink, heart-shaped nose, two 'triangular' ears and a tail that was similar in length to mine but much, much smaller and frailer.

            They also donned a large black-greyish cape that covered its entire body except the front, which was naked to the eye: I could not see it from where I was standing, but I can assure you that the back of the cape was covered in white, glowing mystical symbols and complex arcane words that I cannot even remember, much less write down.

            What unsettled me the most, however, were their eyes: the right one was shining white, the other glowing black; both of them were pointed towards my own, piercing through my head like sharp daggers, invading my thoughts with their malevolent inquisitiveness. Looking straight into the creature's eyes was like having my very soul sucked out of my own body, so I immediately turned away from them; I still kept the being in my line of sight at all times, but it was more like a side glance than a real stare.

            “Hello there!” they greeted me, their voice once again sounding like that of a mere child: high-pitched and playful, at least at first glance, but something within it caused my body to shiver like a leaf in the wind... I had a very bad feeling about that whole situation.

            “You're not being very friendly, you know? I mean, I know I can be quite... 'unsettling', so to say, but I'm starting to get offended...” they immediately added, waking me up from the trance I had fallen in. Obviously, this creature was very well capable of cognitive thought, and could even speak decently-well in my own language; their accent was quite different from my own, though: it was annoying at best, purely irritating at worst.

            The entity stopped speaking, and energetically signed me to respond to their greetings: quite embarrassed at the curious situation I was in, I let my guard down and began chatting with the creature “Oh, pardon me if I was being rude: you, uh... excuse me once again, but what are you, exactly? I have never seen anything quite like you...”

            “Glad you asked!” they interrupted me before happily answering my question “I happen to be a 'cat', the best animal on this planet by far... well, not really, since I can speak and all, but you get what I'm saying.”; truth be told, I did not know what the 'cat' was saying at all... but the name they used to call themselves was foreign to me: I silently wondered with what kind of creature, exactly, I was speaking with.

            “A 'cat', you say? Truth be told, I have never seen anything even remotely similar to you...” I responded, more confused than I had ever been.

In response, the cat sighed annoyed at they replied “Don't worry, it's fine... there are no cats in Draconia after all: of course you-” they were going to finish their sentence, but I impolitely stopped them before they could.

My body reacted on its own upon hearing the name of my homeland, and I walked a few steps forwards as I inquired aloud “Did you say 'Draconia', by chance!? Does this mean I am in my world no longer? What is this place?”

            “Woah, chill out buddy! I can only answer so many questions at once!” they responded with an odd smile, reminding me of how inappropriate I was being with them: I quickly apologized for my mistakes, and in return they explained what I wanted to hear “So, as you should've figured out already, this isn't the world you're used to, dear prince: we are currently on 'Earth', more specifically in what we call the-”

            “Pardon me once more, but how do you know my status? Do you know my name as well?” I interrupted them yet again, but this time I did not apologize for my behaviour: how could they know in advance my rank if I had not even told them my name?

            “I know plenty of things.” they simply answered with an upsetting grin on their face; “I know your name, your status, and a whole lot of other stuff as well… let’s just say that I know _everything I need to know_. I've observed you for a long while, you know? It's been fun, believe me... but I can tell I'm going to have even more fun now that you're here.” they added a second afterwards, turning my distrust for the cat into downright fear. With each word they spoke, my grip on Honour tightened even more...

            “Assuming what you speak is the truth, what do you want from me? I assume you are not here just to waste my time...” I inquired, hoping to regain some control over the conversation.

“Come on, we don't need to interrupt the small talk now! There are plenty of jokes I've yet to make!” they replied, cryptic, denying me a chance to obtain some real answers.

            “Alright then: what's your name? I know _what_ you are, but not _who_ you are...” I inquired, attempting to move the chat forward.

“My name? I've got plenty of names... I think.” the cat responded as they scratched the back of their head nervously “Anyway, you can call me Karma. Karma the cat!”

            “Karma...” I repeated the name aloud in order to memorize it; “Is it a masculine or feminine name? Excuse me for this unexpected inquiry, but it's quite hard for me to determine whether you are a male or a female.” I then asked, for some reason interested by such a minor detail.

            “Uh... I don't know. Let me check...” surprising me quite so, the cat began to nervously pat the entire surface of their body with their hands, leaving no corner unchecked: after a few seconds spent trying to figure out the answer to my question themselves, they finally answered, defeated “Nope, I can't tell.”

            “What do you mean with 'I cannot tell'? Surely you cannot have forgotten your own sex!” I shouted, taken aback by their statement.

“I mean that I can't tell.” they repeated themselves “Look, if I finally answer some of your questions, will you drop this one? Just this one?”

            “Of course.” I answered with a smug smile on my fangs, not completely sure of how I got them to play by my rules but content with the results nonetheless; “So, as I inquired earlier... why are you here? What do you hope to gain by speaking with me?” I then asked, a serious expression on my face.

            “Excellent question! You like to get straight to the point, don't you?” they said whilst chortling in an odd manner, before finally answering my inquiry “I'm here to offer you a chance.”

            Upon asking them what, exactly, they meant with 'a chance', their visage darkened immensely and their eyes began shining with even more intensity as they uttered “It seems that fate has been quite unkind to you, prince Red: you lost your friends, your family, your country... everything that was rightfully yours is no more. You’re lost, like a child's toy amongst the ruins of a destroyed city... I bet that's what the capital of your kingdom looks like right now! Try not to blame yourself too much, though: after all, you were too weak to do anything about it-”

            “Be quiet, you!” I yelled as I raised my sword, their words fuelling the raging fire burning in my soul like coal “You have no right to speak to me like that! You have no right to make fun of me the way you did! You know nothing of me, of my grief and angst! You cannot understand the pain I am suffering right now, so stay silent!”

            Perhaps what I did next was unwise, unjustified and, all things considered, far too reckless: what I am sure of, however, is that the cat deliberately spoke to anger me, to make me relive those painful memories and make them hurt even more just to make me suffer... such a behaviour could not be tolerated, I convinced myself. It was about time, I told myself, that I showed that creature just who they were messing with.

So, I charged towards that cruel animal and sliced the air in two, but their body seemed to disappear as soon as my blade cut it; unsure of what to do with the pain that creature had caused me, I dropped my weapon to the ground and fell to my knees, tears dripping from my water-soaked eyes.

“Father, Sol, everyone else…” I began sobbing like a child as hot tears streamed down my face “Darn it, Karma was right: if only I had been stronger, perhaps things could have gone differently... I, alone, am to blame for what happened. I promised to be strong, I promised to be brave... and yet I almost died during that fight in the dungeon, and soon after escaped like a coward. Is this truly the fate the Gods have in store for me?”

            “What would you do if I told you that you haven't lost anything yet?” I heard Karma's voice coming from behind me, their usually mocking tone now mixed with a pint of seriousness: I briefly wondered how they could still be alive and well, but then realized it did not matter at all. I grabbed my blade, stood up and turned around, only to see their luminescent eyes staring right into my own, stealing all those uncomfortable feelings from right inside me like an expert thief robs shining treasures from under the nose of their proprietors “What if you aren't too late, what if you could still fix everything? Would you accept your destiny, as you currently envision it... or fight against it?”

            I still do not know why, instead of instilling more rage and blind hatred within me, the cat's words caused hope to fill my heart and soul: I just know they did. Despite everything they had said and done so far, my spirit was willing to listen; my mind, however, had a different opinion, and it immediately replied with “What sense is there in answering these meaningless questions? Nobody can reverse time, not even the most powerful of magicians... are you perhaps suggesting you can?”

            “Maybe not... but I sure can-” they were about to conclude their sentence, but stopped mid-way through to ask themselves something I did not quite understand “Wait, am I not forgetting something? Wasn't something supposed to happen right now?”; before I could inquire what, exactly, they meant with that, they said aloud “Hold on, let me get the script...”

            A large, strange book appeared in Karma's hands out of nowhere and the cat immediately opened its first pages, intent on finding something of value within them; meanwhile, they began muttering senseless words that I could not make any sense out of, despite how hard I tried “’Red meets Karma'; 'Karma acts like a douche'; 'foreshadowing'; 'more foreshadowing'... aha, there it is! 'Red and Karma are attacked by ‘Fears’!”

As soon as I realized the overall meaning of their last sentence, my eyes, unlike theirs, widened considerably: “Wait, what did you say?” I quickly asked, but they equally hastily dismissed my question and simply warned me as they cracked their knuckles.

“Alright, don't panic, but... you might feel a little tingle in a short while.” the cat warned me as they evidently prepared for something to appear out of nowhere; “Meanwhile, wear this.” they suddenly added as they threw a small, shining object towards me.

The ornament they threw at me was nothing else than a black ring, shaped like a wyvern biting its own tail with white, glowing eyes. The ring did not seem enchanted or cursed, but I could sense some sort of energy flowing within it.

            “I said, wear it.” Karma ordered me, impatient “You'll understand what's happening as soon as you do.”; curiosity winning over common sense, I decided against my better judgement and incautiously put on the ornament the cat had ‘gifted’ me. As soon as I did, a powerful headache shook my head for a second, before disappearing as if it never even happened

            I attempted to ask for an explanation behind giving me that strange ring, but before I could utter a single word I felt a cold chill running through my entire body, freezing me in place: all my worries, all my fears, returned to me from the Hell they had disappeared in as an ominous, dreadful presence filled the air all around me. I did not want to sound paranoid, but I swore I had already felt this kind of sensation before…

            When I finally managed to regain my composure, I turned to face Karma, who did not seem affected by the sudden change in atmosphere at all; “Well, I guess it had to happen sometime soon.” the cat muttered to themselves, only mildly annoyed. They then walked past me, towards the edge, and added “Not that I care, anyway: it'll only take a few minutes at best.”

            As my eyes turned to face the cat, I realized we were no longer alone: out of nowhere, countless pitch-black, winged monsters had appeared before my very eyes, almost paralyzing me from stupor as they flew like starved beasts and screeched in agony like restless spirits. Karma, on the other hand, did not seem to be fazed by their sudden appearance at all: in fact, they looked as though they had been expecting them. I supposed that’s what they meant when they stated we were going to be attacked by monsters earlier, but that explanation only raised more questions, such as how they could have foreseen this turn of events.

            Either way, let us go back on track: the creatures all looked weirdly the same to me, and their whole bodies were as black as darkness itself. Speaking of their bodies, their own were quite similar to those of thunder dragons: everything, from their smaller wings to their increased height and slimmer figure, reminded me of the enemies who had just stolen everything from me, only exaggerated like in a grotesque caricature; the only exceptions to this ‘rule’ were their eyes, or rather their lack of eyes, and their fangs, which were so wide, sharp and monstrous that only a demon could possess them.

            After a few seconds of looking at those heartless monsters, I finally realized what the cat wanted me to figure out: their demonic appearance, their monstrous fangs, the atmosphere of dread that they brought with them... these creatures were of the same kind, or at least a similar kind, of that lone monster who had attacked me earlier that day, in the dungeon.

            “What are these fiends?” I asked, and received a quite straight-forward answer this time “I like to call them ‘Fears’, but even I am not too sure: I only know that they prey on feelings and souls until there's nothing left, and that they live in a parallel dimension called the 'Astra-grid', which I bothered to make you ‘forcibly leave’ in order to save you from getting attacked. Right now, I'm inside and you're outside of the Astra-grid: that ring I gave you should allow you to see into it, among other things I'll explain later.”

            “So you are in a separate dimension?” I asked baffled, no longer sure to have a firm grasp on reality, or whatever was left of it anyway “What can I do to fight them then? My body’s aching for battle!”

            “Well, your body’s going to ache for a while then! Now’s _my_ time to shine!” they said as they threw themselves into the abyss below... only to begin floating in mid-air as if they had wings and fly around the tower with more grace and speed than any dragon I had ever seen: I felt kind of bad for being left out of the fight, but at least now I had a chance to see what Karma could do in a real fight.

 

            [ **0-01 – A Joker's Day Off -** “Sinister Sundown” from the ‘Kingdom Hearts' series by Square Enix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz6-5UgZIhI&t=114s)]

 

            “Hello, ladies and gentlemen! How're you doing today? Just kidding: nobody cares. I’m Karma, and tonight I'll be your host for this useless tutorial on, you guessed it, fighting!” the cat yelled to the wind that nonsensical introduction, making my head spin as I tried to find a logical explanation behind it.

            “Who are you speaking with?” I inquired aloud, as confused as I could possibly be.

            “Nobody important! Mind your own business, you eavesdropper!” they shouted back at me, making me even more suspicious of Karma’s behaviour: since they called me an ‘eavesdropper’, they definitely were not talking with me… with who were they chatting, then? Those monsters? Someone else entirely?

            Either way, as soon as the cat finished responding to me in that odd manner all the monsters that had been floating around the tower since I put on that ring began mindlessly pursuing the feline with their sharp jaws open as if they had noticed Karma’s presence only in that very moment; not only that, but some of them also started shooting black orbs of energy similar, albeit much smaller and possibly weaker, to the ones the creature I myself fought earlier as they flew.

            Instead of retaliating immediately, the cat began uttering even more nonsense as they evaded those despicable creatures: “Combat in both this and Red’s worlds is very similar to combat in video games, albeit the rules may vary depending on who's fighting...” they explained, “Some stuff, however, is common to all fighters, such as the types of attacks they can use. Basically, there are three kinds of attacks: 'normal attacks', 'special attacks' and 'finishers'. Got it memorized? Good, because nobody will ever bring that up in the future ever again.”

            After finishing their long sentence, the cat doubled the speed they were flying at in order to distance themselves enough from the enormous crowd of monsters that were chasing them before suddenly turning around to face them; I noticed they were holding something in both of their hands, but it took me a while to recognize what they were grasping exactly: a good chunk of shining, weird-looking cards with what appeared to be coloured images drawn upon them. What those images actually represented was impossible for me to distinguish at that distance.

            “A 'normal attack', as you can probably guess on your own, is pretty much anything that causes damage and doesn't wear you out too much: they can be spammed all-day-long with zero regrets and don't cost absolutely nothing, or almost nothing, in terms of energy or magical power. Like this!” they explained before throwing the cards at great speed towards their opponents… well, sort of: their aim was honestly terrible and they would have definitely missed their targets had the cards not suddenly shined even more brightly and curved their trajectory to hit the enemies on their own, piercing their bodies as if they themselves were made of paper and leaving small, gleaming fissures in them that faded as they fell to the ground helplessly.

            As the monsters fell, they started to turn into a black, gooey substance that, I presumed, was essentially what made up most of their bodies: how they could live while their bodies were made of such an odd, unspecialized substance, that I struggled to understand. It was clear, though, that those fiends were an abomination, something that nature certainly did not create.

            Still, that attack was not enough to execute all of those 'Fears': the cat cast way too little cards to kill the entire flock of demons in one hit, and around half of them still remained in the ‘Astra-grid’, still chasing after the black-and-white creature in front of them as if they were oblivious to the death of half of their group. In fact, I believe Karma did not want to eliminate them all in one hit after all: if they did, there would have been no reason to continue muttering their senseless explanations.

            Without wasting any time, the cat began flying upwards towards the sky, an unfocused swarm of monsters in tow; “Next up, 'special attacks': anything that uses up a decent amount of energy or magical power can be put in this category, which includes both spells and weapon techniques. Most of them are one-time-use active abilities and attacks, and you can figure out when one's being used because the user will 'boldly' shout the name of the attack beforehand. Now, allow me…” they yelled before suddenly turning their head downwards, now facing the incoming creatures once more.

            I could only watch in awe as Karma threw around a dozen cards similar to the ones they had just cast only for them to move on their own in order to create some sort of shining circle in the air right in front of the cat, whose centre began filling itself of luminescent symbols made of what appeared to be light itself; meanwhile, I could not help but notice the cat’s eyes glooming with even more intensity as their grin widened considerably more, likely a result of the thrill of the battle.

            “ **Dies Irae!** ” they then yelled, causing large laser beams to be shot from within the circle in the direction of the incoming fiends, who did not even attempt to dodge the cat’s attacks and quickly exploded in countless, tiny particles of black ooze as the attack perforated their weak, immaterial bodies. Karma’s magic was incredibly powerful, far more powerful than any other I had witnessed in my entire life so far: if we were to face in combat, I was very, very likely to lose.

            After dispatching what appeared to be the entirety of the enemies around us, the cat flew all the way down to my level of height and began turning around, possibly seeking more demons to play with; “Let's see, are there any monsters left?” they asked themselves before adding, mildly disappointed “None? Huh... guess you won't see what 'finishers' look like after all. Oh well, you'll have plenty of time to-”

            Their monologue was interrupted by a terrifying scream, which we could perfectly hear despite it coming from the ground around three-hundred feet away from us: when we turned to look at whatever was causing the noise, both of our hearts skipped a beat… well, at least mine did. Karma’s probably started beating even faster due to the excitement.

            What was left of the monsters the cat had killed was gathering itself on the ground below us and quickly rebuilding itself in the form of an enormous, serpentine dragon with spiked wings and a small, glowing black crown. Truth be told, that scene disturbed me immensely: up until that point I had called those monsters ‘fiends’ and ‘demons’, but it was only now that I realized how demonic those foes truly were.

            “Alright, let's talk about 'finishers!” the cat returned to their senseless speech, completely ignoring the threat that was flying towards them at considerable speed “They’re usually preceded by a 'battlecry' of sorts, to separate them from classic 'special attacks'. Basically, they're devastating special attacks that are typically saved for last in fights, since they drain the average user of a whole lot if not all of their energy just to cast one; most of them are-“; before they could end their explanation, the cat dashed towards me in order to evade the incoming monster, which almost managed to eat them whole with their gaping jaws.

Somewhat relieved by the realization they had not, in fact, disappeared inside the cluster of teeth that was that terrifying creature, Karma decided enough was enough and shouted “Alright, you know what? Screw it: I've had enough of you.”

Karma landed on the same ledge I was standing on and quickly summoned not one, but three circles identical to the one they had created earlier (except the second was bigger than the first and the third was bigger than the second) and disposed them ahead of themselves from the biggest to the smallest; a huge light began forming in the centre of the greatest circle, and I could do nothing but stare in awe as I felt an immense energy building up together with the light in front of me.

            “ ** _No more memeing!_** **Requiem Cannon!** ” Karma shouted as they curled into a ball and shielded their ears from the noise with their paws: a few seconds later, the energy stored within that first circle was propelled towards the gargantuan monster via the other two, which acted like magnifying glasses of sorts. What would have otherwise been a simple laser beam turned into a full-on spear of light, which entered the monster’s body via its gaping jaws and pierced it from within, causing it to loudly growl in pain as it exploded into a million pieces, which then evaporated into black gasses like water drops in the Sun. After mere minutes, in spite of the impressive number of foes that had appeared before us at the beginning, the battle was finally over.

            “Well, that should wrap things up: this concludes my overly-complicated explanation on a subject that might as well have never been spoken about, since it’s completely pointless and irrelevant to the plot. I hope you had fun watching me blast everything to shining pieces, because I won't participate in fights very often and I’d like to have made a good first impression. Have a good day!” they said while waving to the air in front of us as the feeling of dread that permeated the air around us disappeared completely…

 

            “What… was that?” I inquired suspicious as the cat turned to face me “Who were you speaking with? The wind?”

“As I said, nobody important. Just pretend I’m crazy.” they immediately dismissed my question, once again praying me to change the topic of the conversation with their stare alone; ‘Perhaps I need not ‘pretend’ they are mad’, I thought, ‘They may indeed just be insane’.

Nevertheless, they did get rid of all those monsters; I, on the other hand, had tried to kill them after they misspoke. The words they had used hurt me deeply, but they were just words nonetheless: I felt the need to apologize, and thank them for what little good they had done for me so far. “Either way, I am truly sorry for trying to cut you down: your words were uncalled for, but even more so was my reaction…” I told the cat, who shrugged off my apology just like they did with my earlier question.

“No worries! I poked fun at your feelings, you got mad… it happens! Most likely, this won’t even be the last time I enrage you: it’s just how I’m made, what can I say?” they stated as they chuckled happily; those last few words upset me quite a bit, but instead of getting angry at them I simply sighed, waiting for the cat to say something else.

“So… would you like to hear my proposition?” they asked me with newfound seriousness “If you want to know where you are, what your options are and so on, then this is the right time to learn. Obviously, I cannot tell you every single thing you may want to know, but I can guarantee you that everything I will say from here on out will be one-hundred-percent true.”

After bearing with that sly creature and their unhelpful responses for half an hour, I finally had the chance to get some real answers out of them: that’s why, instinctively, I accepted the cat’s offer and payed attention to whatever they had to say. Of course, there was no way to know whether what they were going to say was truthful or not, but I trusted my instinct to recognize a lie were they to utter one.

“Great! So, where do we start…”

 

            “-That should wrap it up!” the cat finally finished their lengthy exposition, clearing up a lot of my doubts while also giving me more questions to think over; seeing how I was taking a while to organize all the information I had learned in the past thirty minutes, Karma soon inquired “Would you like me to repeat everything I said?”

            Terrorized by the mere thought of wasting thirty more minutes of my precious time, I immediately replied “Oh, no: there’s no need for that...”; after taking a few more seconds to finish reorganizing everything they had said, I added “I am sorry if this offends you, but… I am having a hard time believing you: your plan is admirable and creative, I will give you that, but it does not make any sense from a realistic standpoint. Sure, you do seem to be quite powerful, but do you honestly expect me to believe you possess _that_ much power?”

            “Even if I didn't...” the cat replicated as they closed both their eyes and ‘glanced’ at me sideways with an air of superiority “...I do know a certain weeb who can. In fact, I think I'm going to ask her for help directly: I can't do all that work and stalk you day and night at the same time... but she sure can! Oh, and while I’m at it I might as well call that edgelord and, why not, that other girl as well: they’ve all been slacking off for way too long…” and, before I knew it, the cat was already talking about different things entirely; still, they did seem quite powerful and their tone spoke lengths about their self-confidence. Perhaps Karma’s plan was not as farfetched as it seemed at first glance.

            “Anyway, what would happen if I refused your proposition?” I asked as I narrowed the distance between my right hand and the hilt of my sword, fearful of a potential negative response from the creature in front of me.

After briefly and grimly chuckling once more, the cat answered with brutal honesty “You'd be forced to wander in this world for the rest of your life, alone and without any hope of returning home. Your kingdom would be conquered by the thunder dragons, everyone you hold dear and that is still alive would perish, and you'd probably feel guilty about it for the rest of your existence.”; a few seconds later, after making sure their words had made an impact on me, they suddenly warned me “If you don't want my help, that's alright: I won’t judge you nor hate you for it. However, if you really want to save your people, you really have no other choice than the one I’m offering.”

            I thought again and again about their plan before inquiring, almost fully convinced “What do you want from me in return then? Surely you request some sort of compensation for your support...”

            “Entertainment.” they simply replied with a huge, sadistic grin; “Where will your quest bring you, I wonder? What people will you meet? Which will you befriend, and which will you turn your back on? What ideals will you fight for, what goals will you reach? How much suffering will you be able to cause and endure before you finally taste a glimmer of happiness? These, and many other questions I want to have an answer to: I'm giving you a chance at redemption because I'm _desperate_ for some high-quality entertainment, and I believe you can provide it to me. I give you hope, and you just live your life: that's all there is to this contract. The only way you can lose is if you're not strong enough to survive until the very end.” they explained, instantly chilling the blood in my veins. As the cat had stated earlier, however, I truly did not have another choice: my kingdom needed me, and I had to save it in whatever way I could; ‘how’ was hardly a problem at the moment.

            “I accept.” I solemnly stated, causing Karma to giggle like a young kid “Now, do what you must.”

            “Do what I--wait, what?” they replied, confused and unsure of what I was asking for.

“You said I would have needed to disguise myself in order to survive: are you not going to use your magic to do so?” I further clarified my question, hoping yet another clarification would not have been required.

            “Oh, that! I swear, you made it seem like I had to euthanize you or something…” the cat finally exclaimed as they got rid of some drops of sweat that were strangely streaming down their neck; “That power's already included in that ring I gave you: it can also alert you of 'Fears' if you aren't already, direct you towards very important people you definitely want to chat with, and it also has Netflix!” they then explained, but after a brief chuckle, they admitted “The latter was a joke, if you couldn't tell.”

            “At this point, I simply I assume everything that comes out of your mouth and that I cannot understand to be a joke of yours.” I replicated, quite annoyed, before inquiring “How am I supposed to change form, again?”

            “You only need to relax! Low energy usage should trigger the transformation instantly, and an increase in power output should reverse the effect... that's what's written on the instruction manual anyway.” the cat clarified with a wide grin, causing me to sigh for what must have been the hundredth time in our whole conversation.

            Nevertheless, I did as they said: I closed my eyes to better concentrate and let out a heavy breath, attempting to relax to the best of my ability. As I was doing just that, I felt an odd sensation coursing through my entire body, meaning something was indeed happening to it; however, I decided to wait until after the feeling disappeared to take a look at myself, scared at the prospect of looking at myself and seeing a disgusting monster in my place.

            When I finally did open my eyes, I realized my whole body had completely changed: my skin was no longer red and scaled, but pink and soft, and I also realized I was somewhat shorter and less imposing. My nails and fangs had also mutated considerably, becoming less sharp and long in the process, and my muscle mass had diminished to a certain degree.

            I quickly found out my wings and tails had disappeared, and any attempts I made to move them while in this form ended up vain: I tried not to take that change too harshly, but I was disappointed at my impossibility to fly while in this form. I could sense my face had drastically changed as well, but the absence of mirrors in my near vicinity prevented me from looking at it directly: I could, however, feel that my muzzle had disappeared in favour of a face more similar to Karma's, albeit my nose now looked like a small, horrible pyramid. I definitely did not like that mutation one bit, but I would have had to endure it for the sake of my mission.

            I noticed my clothes had also changed, for whatever reason: instead of a light set of armour that could save my life in battle, I now wore a plain red 't-shirt', blueish 'jeans', red 'sneakers' and a long red robe... or so I know now, but at the time I could not even fathom what sort of clothes I was wearing. I believe that sort of informal clothing is fitting for a middle to upper-class adult, but... well, when I first saw it, I genuinely believed it to be a regal outfit, fitting for a prince such as myself. Gods, was I prideful...

            Oh, I also noticed that Honour had completely disappeared from my sight: no matter where I looked, my trusted blade was nowhere to be found. Fearing for the worst, I returned to my dragon form, only to find the sword inside its scabbard, which in turn was hanging from my left side: it appeared that, just like my armour and my other draconic features, my sword was destined to disappear every time I shifted, if only temporarily.

            I attempted to ask the cat for more elucidations, but was quite disappointed (and, at the same time, relieved) to find out they had already left, vanished in thin air... I wondered where they went and what magic they used to move at such high speed, before concluding that I did not care at all. I could not waste the entire night chatting anyway; and besides, I could have simply figured out everything else I needed to as I went.

            It was almost midnight when I finally took a step into oblivion, and began flying with the speed and strength dragons are renowned for, heading towards a place I could use to descend to the ground in my non-draconic form: I still had many doubts and questions waiting for an answer, but I had already sealed my path and there was no turning back now. My priority, as it stood, was to find shelter from the cold night: I would decide what to do next the following day.


	3. The Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fate is incomprehensible, it has a logic of its own... and we are all forced to follow it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you really still here? That means you do like my work! Thank you!
> 
> In that case, could you please spread the word about this novel? I am doing my best to ensure that people know about it, but I can only do so much... you, on the other hand, can do a whole lot of things! You could tell your friends, and... uh... that's all I can think of. XwX

I land on the plain roof of the habitation I chose a few minutes ago; not only was the landing spot mostly devoid of obstacles, save for a huge white plate supported by metal bars on the corner of the edifice, but the near-absence of lights in this specific area allowed me to sneak right in without anyone noticing... at least, I believe I went unnoticed. I hope luck is on my side at least for the remainder of the day...

I transform into my more human-like appearance soon afterwards, still suspicious of potential witnesses, and search for a means of reaching the street below without recurring to flight... thankfully, there are some stairs I can use on the side of the edifice: these are made of metal, unlike the ones I am used to that are made of wood or marble and are generally positioned indoors, and their purpose seems to be to connect most of the windows present on this side of the building to the ground... the only downside is that they do not reach to the roof, for whatever reason. I could still drop down to the highest set of stairs, but the noise would no doubt alert any nearby humans of my presence... there are no other apparent alternatives, though, so I guess I do not have a choice.

The distance between me and the stairs is of approximately four to five feet and I easily cover it without hurting myself in the process; I do indeed produce a quite noticeable noise though, so I rush down the stairs as hastily as I can, trying to limit the amount of sound I am bound to make. A few windows suddenly light up, but by the time that happens I have already made a final jump and landed on the cold and dusty ground; my heart pounds fast as I leave that accursed alley before any of the tenants can notice me...

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After barely escaping my castle with my life still intact, I somehow found myself in a mysterious world I have never heard about... but that is the least of my concerns at the moment: right now, I must find a place to rest for the night... afterwards, I will have to prepare myself for an important day to come...**

 

I catch my breath under a light pending from a tall pole in the corner of the street and inspect my surroundings, which look quite different from up close than they did from above: the road is surrounded by buildings whose poverty can only be compared to the one of the people that live in them, while the centre of the street is illuminated by many poles like the one I am standing next to.

Some of those coloured machines, or at least I believe they are machines, occasionally wander around on their fixed path at high speed, careless of any human that might have chosen to cross the road in that precise moment... unless said human walks on certain peculiar white lines that connect the opposite sides of the road: in that case, the machines stop and let them pass, only to resume their otherwise unstoppable path as soon as there is no other human in sight. I decide to walk on those white lines as well, as doing otherwise could increase suspicion by the locals... or earn me an early grave.

The humans that are still awake at this hour of the day all look more or less the same, but perhaps that is only because of the darkness that enshrouds even the most well-lighted corners of the city... though it could also be because I have never seen one of them in my life. I decide to inspect at least one of them up close, if only to visualize how my body and visage have changed, and my gaze instantly falls upon an old, judging from his appearance at least, grown man that is approaching my position: his height is more or less the same as mine, but unless he plans to use his belly as a pillow I would recommend him to spend some more time exercising. His attire, a black jacket and a black pair of trousers, indeed looks very formal... but far less practical when compared to my own clothes, that protect me from the cold much more effectively; he is also carrying a brown box made of leather in his right hand whose purpose is, most likely, to easily bring along even more items. As for his aspect, he has short, almost non-existent grey hair and small brown eyes, which are much more... round than draconic ones: clearly, their purpose in the human world is not unsettling the enemy with their rigour and sharpness. He does not have a muzzle, and just like the cat he breathes through a nose... though his is more round and hideous, and looks more like a small red ball than anything else, really. His mouth does not possess any fangs at all and is not intimidating in the least... and the hair growing below it is utterly useless and even loathsome; to be honest, this man is the complete opposite of beauty as we dragons envision it: in fact, his sight is so terrifying I hastily check my own face with my hands to make sure it is not like his... and, while we do share some similarities, at least my nose is much smaller and sharper than his. I still retain some of my fangs, though they are somewhat downsized, but I doubt anyone is going to notice them as long as I keep my mouth shut. I also do not possess any hair above or below my chin, and learning said notion helps me relax quite a bit.

The human fails to notice me even though we are quite close and instead keeps walking in the direction he has chosen for himself, without a clear intent in mind... from the looks of it, Karma was right: humans really are as they described them...

 

“Whether you're going to accept my offer or not, you should at least know what the inhabitants of this world look like... just so you know what to expect.” they say as they look away, clearly disheartened, and immediately change the topic “...No, you know what? Who cares, you're going to see a whole lot of them anyways... let's talk about what they _are_ like instead.” they pause for a second before continuing “Humans are pathetic, worthless creatures that traded their honor and dignity for comfort and laziness: that's what they are. They're all fools, the worst kind of fool in fact: they all have the potential to become something more, something unique, but most if not all of them willingly refuse to ascend to greatness because they believe the life they're living is perfectly fine the way it is... needless to say, they're wrong. They refuse to realize theirs is a broken world, populated by the ignorant and ruled by the corrupt: you, my friend, won't find no joy in the eyes of the 'mature' men you'll meet... but, if you look closely enough, you'll be able to find some in the heart of their children, who against all odds still remember what true happiness feels like...” they chuckle grimly before adding, in a tone that is so dark it sends chills down my spine “But that happiness won't last long: in time, they too will abide by the fabricated rules this world imposes, whether they like it... or not.”

 

At first, I believed the cat was exaggerating when they spoke of the inhabitants of this world... but the more I look at them, the more I realize they were perfectly right: all the humans I see look desolated, depressed, unhappy... and I doubt tiredness is the main reason behind their bad mood. The fact that none of them are even spending one second of their time looking at me when I walk near them is strangely disturbing: it appears as though everyone is so busy minding their own business that they fail to notice even someone as suspicious as me... though, now that I think about it, maybe that is not too inconvenient.

I have been walking in the same direction for a few minutes at least, unsure of where to go or what to do: the decrepit houses looming over the street like trees in a haunted forest have almost disappeared, replaced by smaller and much brighter buildings that appear to be shops and restaurants of some sort; the fact that this city is so bright and lively at this hour of the day feels astounding to me... it is a shame I cannot say the same about the people I encounter, though. Although most of the names of these locales are alien to me, I can at least understand what they are specialized in: groceries, jewellers, clothing shops, boutiques, bars, liquor stores... but then there are 'pizzeria's, 'drug-stores', 'hairdresser's, and, strangely enough, a whole lot of 'cafeteria's all called 'Starbucks'... although I do not have much time to investigate at the moment, I have to admit I am intrigued by what these stores and eateries might be dealing in. Still, the fact that there are so many shops of the same kind in the area feels a bit strange to me: the amount of competition between the shopkeepers must be tremendously high... far too high, in fact. It is rare to find more than one shop of a kind per district in the capital of my kingdom, as there are unspoken rules of respect and solidarity between those in the trading business... rules that clearly do not apply in this town.

I immediately stop wondering about these meaningless oddities upon noticing the entry to some sort of huge forest right in the middle of the city, which the sign at the entrance calls a 'park': although it does not appear to be relevant to my current goal of finding a decent spot to rest for the night, the ring I wear on my right index finger suddenly tightens a bit as soon as I near it. An ominous and almost imperceptible white light spawns from the black metallic eyes of the snake that forms the ring, directing me towards the centre of the park before fading away in the darkness of the night. If what just happened was yet another functionality of the ring, Karma forgot to explain it to me... or, most likely, blatantly ignored it; however, I, for one, cannot ignore such a clear foretelling and immediately enter the forest to find out whatever the ring wants me to see or do.

 

The air is definitely fresher, for some reason: not even in my own hunting reservoirs had I ever breathed such pure air... there is no scent of animal or monster faecal matter either, which could mean there are no dangerous creatures that could attack me in my sleep... apart from those 'F.E.A.R.'s, of course. The trees around me are all robust and strong, and appear to be inhabited by several families of birds and other definitely less threatening creatures, but I have a feeling this place is more cheery during the morning and early afternoon than in the late evening. If I fail to find another place to stay, I could even consider sleeping on the grass, in the open, maybe even next to one of the many small lakes and pools that can be found anywhere in these majestic woods, under the black blanket that is the sky.

Someone seems to have had the same idea: a human is laying in the middle of an open area, away from the main road, either sleeping or simply watching the numerous white dots that decorate the firmament. As I turn away from the man, I notice a small group of five... no, six people laughing loudly and shouting as they quickly approach the man and surround him: I need not know their intentions to understand they plan to do something harmful to that innocent person. Both the offenders and the offended appear to be pre-adults, but due to the scarce lighting I cannot quite make out their appearance or... anything else, really. All I know is that these people are definitely harassing this young man, and that is something I cannot allow: I sneakily move behind a tree near the humans and listen intently, wanting to assess the situation before doing anything rash that might hurt the man even more.

“What do you want from me?” the man in the middle asks; although his voice is either not quite mature or simply not very masculine, the man in the middle is definitely a male.

“We're the ones askin' the questions!” the leader of the invasive group replies harshly, with the approval of his fellow companions; both his itchy movements and his crazed tone imply that this one may have drank too much wine or beer, along with the rest of his group if my theory is correct “What're ye doin' on the grass, boy? Are ye a dirty hobo or somethin'?” he asks, his thick accent preventing me from understanding his questions to the fullest.

“What? No!” the man responds, more scared than angry “I was just watching the stars, that's it...” a reasonable explanation, I believe: as I said earlier, I, too, could spend an eternity watching the nightly sky, counting those shiny little points that appear to be called 'stars'...

The drunk men laugh again, not content with his explanation “What're ye, a pussycat? Or just a freakin' weirdo?” he punches the man in the face, who emits a faint cry of pain as he falls to the ground helplessly. “It's 'bout time I had some fun with someone...” the man mumbles as he and the other men prepare to beat the poor guy “I ain't gonna let ye out of here alive, ye bloody-”

“Hold it right there!” I run towards the group, feeling guilty for not intervening before “What do you think you are doing, you cowards!?”

“And who're you suppos'd ta be?” the leader of the gang turns to face me but does not immediately raise his guard “Don't ye dare play the hero, or else-” before he can finish muttering his useless threat, I hit him hard in the face with my fist, sending him flying a few feet backwards towards another one of his companions who helplessly falls to the ground together with his friend; meanwhile, the other four ruffians, having just realized my hostility, finally take me into consideration and prepare to fight me.

Although I could use the darkness to my advantage and attack my opponents by surprise, I instead decide to boost my visibility and take on my enemies more directly like I am used to: I concentrate some of my power in my arms, which immediately transform back into those of a dragon as they are consumed by a fire that does not burn them. I am not concerned by the drunkards' frightened expressions, as they are likely to forget everything tomorrow or, in the worst case scenario, remember me as a nightmare, but I am indeed concerned by the man they were picking on: what will he do once he realizes who... or rather, what I am? Apparently, stare in amazement: he seems to be enjoying the spectacle, astounded by the power I possess, mumbling something alone the lines of “I can't believe it...” more or less every second ... if he has not run away yet, then I doubt he ever will. Explaining the situation to him might prove difficult, but he appears to be smart enough: maybe getting him to cooperate will not be as hard as it sounds in my head.

I spent my whole life training in combat with and without weapons, and that allows me to quickly gain the upper hand against the small group: two men attempt to fight me at once, but are quickly dispatched thanks to my lightning reflexes and iron fists. However, that perennial state of advantage does not last long: suddenly, as I prepare to take on the rest of the bullies, one of them, who seems to be particularly wide and burly, attempts to strangle me with a leather strap or something similar from behind. Before he can gain an advantage over me however, the man's belt is instantly and easily torn by my right claws and soon after his stomach is pounded hard by my left elbow, which miraculously for him is still somewhat human and does not possess the huge sharp spike ordinary dragons feature... I doubt he would have survived if that had been the case. After a couple more hits directed to his face, the giant finally crumbles to the ground, unconscious.

After freeing myself from the remains of the belt, I attempt to catch my breath, thinking the worst has already been taken care of... but I am wrong: the leader of that gang of incompetents charges at me, brandishing a sharp knife with both of his hands, yelling “Die, ye monster!” or something along those lines... but, before I can do anything to defend myself, the human they were picking on suddenly moves between me and my assailant and gracefully performs a backflip, kicking him just below his chin and sending him flying an astonishing twenty or so feet backwards. The man's blade flies uncontrolled in the air for a few instants before being rapidly caught by the man who helped me, who then nonchalantly drops it before shouting to his beaten attackers “Take that! This is what you get for picking on random guys in the dark! Now run away while you still can!” more or less, that is what I was about to say myself, and I cannot even be angry at this man for saying it in my place: the stunt he pulled off a few seconds ago was quite impressive for a wingless person his age.

The ruffians do not lose any time idling and decide to run away as fast as they can, carrying away their unconscious companions the best they can in the meantime: I believe it is safe to say this is a flawless victory... although a rather easy one at that.

After the drunkards disappear from the nearby vicinity, the man that battled alongside me runs towards me, clearly ecstatic “Oh my God, this can't be happening...!” despite the alarming words he is speaking, he does not appear to be afraid or intimidated by my presence “I... I can't believe it! So there _are_ other...”

“Pardon me for interrupting you...” I stop him and direct his attention to a nearby pole of light “But I personally hate conversing with people I cannot even see: do you mind if we move over there so I can see you better?” at first, he does not know what to say, but after a short while he agrees “Yeah, sure.” and accepts to follow me; this human is a bit too informal for my liking, but I believe I can work with that.

 

“Thanks for helping me back there... really, I mean it.” the young man expresses his gratitude to me for the umpteenth time in a minute “I mean, I could've solved that problem by myself, but... oh man, I still can't believe it...”

“You are quite skilled, that is true... but that skill will take you nowhere if you hesitate to do something as simple as defending yourself.” I admonish him, concerned; I then remember I have not asked him for his name yet and proceed to rectify that mistake “Oh, pardon me for my rudeness: my name is Red, and, as you clearly saw, I am a fire dragon.”

“Nice to meet you! My name's Lepris.” he greets me, cheerful. When I first saw him, I legitimately thought I had been mistaken about his gender: something in his lineaments, his big black eyes, his semi-long black hair and the way he decided to dress for the evening sort of confused me... but I quickly realized I had made no mistake as soon as I saw his powerful, trained thighs. I have seen lots of powerful women in my life, Sol being on top of the list, but none of them had legs like these... or a chest this flat. Speaking of his clothing, let me point out what he is wearing right now: a pink 't-shirt' with the picture of an unknown black long-eared creature drawn on it, a blue jacket with a fair amount of pockets, which is made out of a different, much softer material than mine, a very short pair of blue 'jeans' that do not even reach the knee and a pair of blue and white shoes that appear to be very similar to my own; overall, this 'Lepris' could not look any more girly than he already is... that said, I do not know anything about human fashion, so I could be wrong yet again... it may be for the best I do not address the issue right away, as that could put me under a bad light.

“I've said this a million times already but... oh my God, I just can't believe it...” he mumbles, clearly referring to me.

“Of course you cannot believe it...” I reply, understanding “From what I have gathered, dragons are not quite common in your world.”

“What? Oh, yeah, dragons are really cool...” he scratches the back of his head, kind of embarrassed “But... it doesn't really matter to me if you're a dragon, a wolf, a canary or whatever: what I'm really surprised of is that there are other _other_ -”

“Did you just say 'other'!?” I interrupt him, my heart skipping a beat “Does that mean there are other people like me? Have you met any?” if this kid is saying the truth, that could change everything! “Well, I don't know for sure, but... I mean, there's you! And there's me! Surely there must be others like us... right?” he answers, his eyes filled with hope; is he... is he a dragon in disguise as well? But then, how could he conceal himself so perfectly well without a ring like the one I am wearing?

“Wait, does that mean you are a dragon yourself?” I inquire, amazed by this incredible coincidence fate has laid out for me. He eyes me strangely as he mutters “A dragon? No, I'm a-”

Something hits me. Something powerful, dreadful... my chest aches, my heart burns, my head hurts; Lepris must be experiencing it as well as he has stopped talking and is making the same pained expressions I am. This sudden pain... or, rather, this sudden fear... it is far too familiar: we are in grave danger.

“There is no time!” I yell at him “Run away! Find some cover!” at first he questions me, not understanding the gravity of the situation, but as soon as the light around us begins to fall apart and spread to the near surroundings, something I was not warned would have happened in this situation by the way, he realizes something bad is going to happen soon and finds refuge behind a bench. I would like to have Lepris fight by my side, to see his level of skill... but something tells me he has never been in such a situation before, so maybe it is best for him to watch and learn instead as I take care of the incoming foes.

The darkness of the night suddenly gains a physical form as a multitude of creatures resembling short goblins enter what Karma dubbed the 'Astra-grid' from right in front of me, accompanied by a small group of winged monsters that are quite similar, if not the same, to the ones the cat fought about an hour ago.

Escape is not an option, even if it were possible: dragons never run away from a battle, they fight until every last one of their opponents lies dead on the blood-soaked ground, and I am no exception; from what I can see, Lepris would like to honour the code as well and fight the impending menace, but he appears to be waiting for something to happen before he joins the fray.

I direct my full attention to the monsters that are charging at me and begin running towards them as my body transforms back into that of a dragon; I unsheathe my sword from its scabbard and point it at the enemy, ready to tear their bodies apart. Meanwhile, I try to recall what the cat told me about these creatures that are so interested in me and my power...

 

“What were those creatures from before?” I ask, concerned “Are they native to this world? Are they a common sight, perhaps? If so, how could even one of them enter my kingdom without anyone knowing?”

“Nobody knows 'F.E.A.R.'s even exist.” they answer, mysterious “But I can assure you they've been around for a long time... even in your own world.” before I can interrupt him and ask a few more questions, he silences me and continues his explanation “'F.E.A.R.'s are peculiar creatures that inhabit what I like to call the 'Astra-grid', or the collective unconsciousness if you prefer: a world made out of, you guessed it, emotions and feelings. A world that is parallel to the one we're in right now, a world that has existed for as long as life itself has... a world that has given birth to some of the most nightmarish fiends you can imagine, 'F.E.A.R.'s being the most common: they're born out of man's insecurities, inhibitions, damaged hearts and broken dreams... and they feed upon them as well. Some time ago, they weren't very powerful: they preferred to hunt and feast alone, acting more like unseen parasites than actual threats... sometimes they banded together, but they only did that to prey upon more resilient individuals and, even then, they didn't have enough power to physically harm their preys... that has changed, however. Now, they select their targets rather accurately, and prefer to attack people regardless of their state of mind... though most of the people they do target are quite weird themselves. Moreover, all the people they attacked in this period have a little something I like to call 'the power to change the world'...”

“The power to change the world?” I ask, dubious “What is that?”

“Who knows?” they shrugs their shoulders as a huge grin appears on their face “Most likely some dumb plot device we'll keep referencing to make the readers think this novel actually has a deep meaning behind it.” once again, their words are incomprehensible to me; I ask them to elaborate, but they refuse as they reply “Look, don't stress over it too much: I could be lying, you know? Still, if something like that really does exist, then you can bet the 'F.E.A.R.'s will be coming for _you_ : just like they did to those other poor souls, they'll forcefully trap you into the 'Astra-grid' and then...”

“And then?” I inquire, a bit scared by their sudden pause.

“...And then you'll die.” they answer, a sadistic grin forming on their lips “You see, a massive amount of 'F.E.A.R.'s can cause... irreparable damage to one person's mind: the more you get hit, the more things you'll forget. Eventually, you'll forget who you are, what you're fighting for... all the information your little mind contains will be erased until there's nothing left to forget. Death is a short way from there, trust me.” they chuckle ominously before reassuring me “Don't worry though: as long as you can escape the 'EmotionGrid' before you're cast into oblivion, you'll be just fine... and your mind won't suffer any permanent injuries either!” quite a worthwhile explanation in my opinion, but they still have not answered some major concerns of mine.

“What about the one that attacked me in the depths of my castle? Why was that one alone but incredibly powerful while these ones were many but tremendously weak?” they ponder for a second or two before answering “Your city was being attacked in that moment, right? Lots of people died, some even in front of their loved ones... perhaps their sorrow combined just like the remains of those flying pests and decided to, of all people, target you specifically... frankly, I'm surprised you're still alive.” they chuckle yet again before adding, unimpressed “But I won't accept anything else from you, dear prince: if you can't beat these idiotic freaks, then you won't ever be able to reclaim what is yours... not by a long shot.”

 

[ **1-02 – Alternative Battle – “** Clutterfunk Part 2” by Waterflame (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFrimAIrU8I>)]

 

I destroy a good chunk of the enemy's front line with a single wide slash of my sword, then proceed to administer retribution to the rest of them: these creatures cannot even defend themselves properly and immediately dissolve into gooey matter as soon as I hit them with my blade... their numbers, however, are overwhelming and even I cannot rectify that. Their bites and scratches, though only slightly painful, are stacking up very quickly and they are worsening with each hit I suffer; on top of that, the winged 'F.E.A.R.'s are sporadically attacking me from above and worsening the situation: if this keeps up, I am bound to lose far more quickly than I could have ever anticipated.

Hoping to gain an advantage over the enemy, I get off the ground and begin flying atop my enemies, focusing more on the ones that are attacking me from the air than the ones who now cannot even lay a finger on me. “ **Volcanic Barrage!** ” I unleash a barrage of fireballs on my flying enemies, attempting to get rid of all of them at once: although half of them are hit and succumb to the power of my flames, the other half manages to avoid them and continues attacking me; these things are much more problematic than I initially thought.

“Red!” I hear Lepris calling me: I turn towards him only to see the entirety of the 'F.E.A.R.' ground forces and some of the flying ones as well directed towards him, completely disregarding me: they are no doubt planning to kill him first, and I do not know if he can survive that kind of assault. I fly towards him, ignoring the flying pests that are trying to divert my attention in vain: I refuse to let someone die because they got stuck in a battle they were not supposed to fight... I refuse!

“Lepris, turn into a dragon!” I yell at him “You cannot fight them the way you are now!”

“I _can't_ turn into a dragon!” he replies aloud as he gets into a battle stance “But I _can_ turn into _this_!” suddenly, his entire body is engulfed by yellow flame-like particles, flames so bright even the 'F.E.A.R.'s are stunned, unable to move or attack... and, to be frank, even I am left speechless: is this what happens every time I turn into my dragon self, I wonder?

 

[ **2-01 – Fighter Spirit – “** Battle Theme 1” from Etrian Odyssey V by Yuzo Koshiro, Atlus (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0-Vh1A7Z4>)]

 

The flames all disappear soon afterwards, revealing his completely different body... a body that certainly does not belong to a dragon: he is now covered in very short grey fur from top to bottom, his jacket and shoes have disappeared and his shirt and shorts have become even smaller... no, it is him who became taller by at least ten inches! His fingers and toes have not diminished in number and, instead, have become even longer... especially his toes: if that makes any sense, the length of his feet could be the reason his shoes disappeared in the first place! His face is what changed the most: his big black eyes have become even bigger, his nose has regressed to a simple pink heart and his ears are now shaped like Karma's, if only a bit rounder... not only that but, and I am not exaggerating in the slightest when saying this, they are now as long as his whole body and almost manage to touch the ground itself; they also appear to be much stronger, just like his legs who also increased in muscle size, and now look more like a second pair of arms than actual ears. Now I am sure, this man is definitely not a dragon... but he is not quite human either: he is... something more, something different.

“So, do you believe me now? I'm _otherkin_ just like you!” Lepris shouts at me, extremely content “I can fight these things no problem: just watch me!” he runs towards a nearby monster with outstanding speed and kicks him hard in the face with his oversized leg: the impact is so powerful it causes the 'F.E.A.R.'s head to separate from its body and fly away before disintegrating into nothingness. Another one of those little goblins approaches him from the right but he immediately notices the monster before it can hit him and counters with a powerful blow of his right... ear: I look at him in awe as he proceeds to destroy a couple more of these creatures using only his sound receptors, without even using his arms that, admittedly, have seemingly not become any stronger. Spotting the main horde approaching, he then runs up to them and literally jumps on the head of the front-most monsters, propelling himself upwards into the air; one of the winged beasts charges at him, attempting to hit him, but he uses his ears to grab onto the creature's small feet and seize indirect control of its flight: with some difficulty, he sends the bird flying into another one of its kind, killing the both of them. What happens afterwards is... much less impressive, admittedly: apparently surprised by his plan actually working the way he intended it to, Lepris fails to understand the notion he is actually falling and lands face first into the only, and I underline 'only', puddle of water inside the battle arena, earning a faint chuckle from me.

He may be a bit inexperienced and, at times, even slightly pathetic when fighting, but this kid shows more potential than most of the dragons that form the bulk of my kingdom's army: he will undoubtedly prove invaluable to me were he to help me in my journey... that is, if he does decide to aid me. For now, I land next to him just as he manages to pull himself out of the water, visibly embarrassed “Okay, that could've ended better...” he admits as he laughs nervously.

“Indeed it could have.” I say as I point my blade to the remaining monsters, now more determined as ever to win this stupid battle “Are you ready to finish what we started?”

“Heck yeah!” he says as he slams his right fist into his left hand “Let's do this!”

 

 


	4. A Rough Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The odds are stacked against you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a shame this novel is not faring as good as I originally thought... oh well, at least I am having fun writing it!  
> Also, if you really like this novel, please consider writing me a comment! I really appreciate when people do that, it makes me feel less alone.

With Lepris by my side, the tides of battle turned rather quickly: the power of my wide slashes and the quickness of his blows proved too much for the little goblins and the enemy ground forces got decimated in less than a minute... even though that did tire us out very quickly as well. Whenever the winged avians charged at us from above, I had Lepris intervene: by jumping high in the sky, grabbing them with his gigantic ears and sending them crashing down into the wingless enemies with a slap, we hastily got rid of the flying menace even quicker than I could have ever imagined. Even though we were using the same exact tactic each time, the 'F.E.A.R.'s never bothered to switch their own and were dispatched with ease: another cruel reminder that strength is nothing without a good mind to support it.

Eventually, we reduced the entirety of the battleground to a gooey black pulp, formed by the remains of the monsters we had eliminated. Now here I am, looking at the mess we have caused, wondering why we are still trapped within the 'Astra-grid'... that certainly cannot be good.

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After barely escaping from my castle and finding myself in a world I did not even know existed, I made a contract with a mysterious entity in the hope of reclaiming what I lost. While searching for a place to rest for the night, I met a strange human named Lepris... and, since then, things have only worsened...**

 

“We did it! We actually did it!” my companion shouts as he stands on his right leg and punches the air above him “Can't believe it was that easy!”

“Because it was not: this battle is not over yet...” I tell him as I inspect the sword in my hand: the seven gems that are held within its fuller are still shining brightly, meaning the danger has not yet subsided “Something is coming for us! Prepare yourself!”

 

[ **1-03 – Eternal Fire** –Chaotic by Waterflame (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhN9OdjE4m4>)] **/** [ **2-03 – Battlefield of Suspense –** Battlefield: Faith is My Pillar (From Etrian Odyssey IV) by Yuzo Koshiro (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_7UQHIDcA>)]

 

Lepris barely has any time to understand what I just said before the black blob resting below our feet starts moving on its own and begins accumulating in the centre of the arena; the remains of hundreds of creatures fuse together into one monstrous abomination that appears to be exactly like the goblins we just defeated, only much bigger... in fact, it is so big its size is twice my own!

“Okay, what the heck is that!?” the man asks me as he points at the 'F.E.A.R.', not knowing what to do.

“Exactly what you think it is.” I answer as the creature leaps towards us, trying to smash us with its enormous size “Move! Now!”; we barely manage to get away from the impact point as the creature lands right where we were a moment ago, missing us by the skin of our fangs “We need to take this thing down, and fast!” I tell the shape-shifting human “Else we risk more of them joining the fray!”

“Heck no!” he replies as he once again prepares himself for battle “I'm not dealing with all those creeps again! It better stop once we bring down this big guy!” to be frank, I hope so as well: another round would be devastating, and I am not sure we would even be able to survive that in our current state.

Lepris leaps at the black-fanged goliath and kicks it hard in the face with his right foot: the monster emits a faint growl, which probably means it did suffer some damage, but it immediately retaliates and punches the man right in his stomach, sending him flying away screaming; he harshly lands in the cold dirt, thankfully not unconscious “Lepris! Are you alright!?”

“I'm... fine...” he manages to answer as he somehow gets up, the will to keep on fighting still burning in his eyes “You'll need more... than that... to beat me!” I... I am impressed: this human alone has surpassed each and every one I have seen so far, both in strength and in character... he truly is a force to reckon.

As the behemoth turns to attack me, forcing me to dodge its attacks one after another, I evaluate all the possible alternatives available to me right now: I could continue battling using only normal and special attacks, but that could prove difficult, even impossible perhaps... the best and safest way for me to end the battle quickly is to use a finisher, though that would mean I only have one chance to, literally, finish this.

I consider using the most powerful spell I can cast, but immediately realize I need some time to properly assemble it... I would be dead before I can even utter the poem that accompanies it! However... if Lepris were to divert the creature's attention in the meantime, I would definitely have enough time to prepare it!

“Lepris! I need your help!” I call him “I need you to distract this thing for me! Our very survival depends on it!”

“Got it!” he says as he charges at the monster from behind, stoically ignoring the pain he must surely be suffering, and kicks it as hard as he can in the back, making it stumble forward and giving me enough time to distance myself from it; the titanic fiend does not waste any time, however, and instantly attempts to get revenge on the human who struck it: fortunately, Lepris had the smart idea of jumping backwards in the meantime, avoiding its attack and further taunting the beast into attacking him and him alone.

As my companion dodges each and every single attack the giant attempts to hit him with and simultaneously keeps it away from me, I proceed to harness the power needed to cast this sacred spell: after breathing deeply a few times, I form some sort of containing globe with my right and left hand and begin pouring my own fire directly into it with the help of my hands; the burning blaze then transforms into a slowly growing sphere of living fire, only waiting to be fired.

“ _ **Souls of the oppressed, of the unforgiven, of the glorious: heed my call!**_ ” I shout as the sphere between my hands begins to grow even further and blue sparkles of energy flow in and out of my body “ _ **You, who have served this kingdom with your very lives, I ask for your help once again!**_ ” either the noise I am making or the power I am drawing has alerted the monster of what I am doing: it immediately stops attacking the shape-shifter and instead charges at me, probably knowing full-well its existence will surely cease if I ever do finish this poem “ _ **You, who fought tirelessly for the ideals you believed in, lend me your strength to pursue my own!**_ ” Lepris is faster than the monster and positions himself between me and the creature, ready to stop it no matter what; the 'F.E.A.R.' lunges at him, planning to take him out in one blow, but the human is ready to serve a healthy dose of vengeance **“Furious Flurry!”** he charges his arm-like ears with the last remains of his strength and unleashes a flurry of blows onto the incoming behemoth, which was not prepared to deal with such a potent counter and is left defenceless: not only is Lepris's attack too strong for the monster to break through, it also sends it flying high up in the air... I could not have asked for a better opportunity than this “ _ **Together, we stand! For honour, for glory, for freedom!**_ ” the sphere in my hand is now as big as it should be, and far more powerful than I remembered it; as I launch the sphere towards the monster, I shout aloud, with all the anger I have left “ _ **Burn in the flames of Hell!**_ **Blazing Inferno!** ”

The spell is quick and reaches its target before gravity can pull it back down; as the two bodies come into contact, the sphere suddenly explodes... or rather, it expands: it is now the size of a house and as hot as the Sun itself, or so they say. Any pained cries the monster may be making are either suffocated by the intensity of the lava that is reducing it to dust or silenced by the loud noise of the explosion. The power of the everlasting inferno paints the entirety of our surroundings of a reddish shade of orange, but it does not produce that familiar scent of burnt chicken I am used to: that is likely due to the fact we are, technically, in another dimension... the senses must be working differently in this odd plane of existence.

“Who... w-what _are_ you?” Lepris asks me, amazed and confused, as I sheathe my sword and transform back into a human “Just a dragon who is fighting for what is right.” I say as the dimension we are in falls apart rather hastily: the burned grass turns clean and fresh, what little is left of the previous enemy horde disappears in an instant and the gigantic ball of fire vanishes in thin air, allowing us to see an even brighter sky than before. Everything has returned to the way it should be... for now, at least.

“Oh, man... I'm exhausted!” Lepris sighs as he drops to the ground, his body quickly reverting into that of a human; he deserves to finally have some rest, he has done a great service to me by helping me defeat those cursed fiends.

“Can I have a word with you?” I ask as I approach the man, who eyes me surprised “You have my gratitude, my friend: without you, I doubt I would have survived that onslaught... e-excuse me, are you even listening to me?” the poor guy is looking at me oddly... actually, now that I take a better look I believe he is looking _through_ me: he is mumbling something, but the words are so garbed and confused I cannot quite make out what he is saying.

“...Well, again, thank you for your kindness; now, if you will excuse me, I have to find a suitable place for me to rest through the night.” I pat him on the shoulder and turn the other way, preparing to leave... but before I can make another step, he grabs my jacket's sleeve and stops me “Waitwaitwaitwait! Wait! You mean you don't have anywhere to stay at?” he suddenly asks, very interested.

“Unfortunately no, I am afraid.” upon hearing my answer, he springs back up and begins talking to himself “Yes! Yesyesyesyes! That's _great_!” his body instantly stops moving as he realizes the words he just said are... regrettable “Wait! No! T-That's _not_ great! I should feel bad for you!” he immediately turns to look at me in the eyes and begins bowing repeatedly, seemingly without end... honestly, I do not even know what to say any more: his reactions are very strange, and his sentences are even more strange!

“I-It's alright Lepris... you need not bow so many times...” I tell him, unsure of what to say or do to make him stop behaving so oddly.

“O-Okay, I'll stop... sorry...” he apologizes as he looks elsewhere, clearly embarrassed “What I meant to say was... i-if you don't have anywhere else to sleep at, w-why don't you come to my place and sleep there? I've got a spare bed after all...” now  _that_ is a possibility I did not think he would have suggested: sleeping on an actual bed rather than on a tree branch would drastically improve the quality of my rest... besides, this way I will not have to track this man down tomorrow for an explanation. But, can I really accept?

“That is a very generous offer...” I reply, taken aback by his willingness to help “The only thing I fear is... are you sure you can invite someone like  _me_ to your home, just like this? Someone who you have not met before, someone who is... so different than you in every way?”

His answer is straightforward and doubtless, clearing my own doubt from my mind “Of course! We saved each other's lives! It's the minimum I can do for you after everything you've done for me tonight... and we're not that different, after all... I mean, we're both otherkin, right?” he signals me to follow him, something that I gladly do; as we prepare to leave the area, I spot something moving right next to a tree a hundred or so feet away from me... however, when I turn my gaze to inspect the area better I find nothing of interest: it might have been a nocturnal animal, or maybe what I saw was just a mirage influenced by my tiredness... though I cannot shake away the feeling I really did see something out of the ordinary...

 

After the tough battle, we headed towards Lepris's 'apartment', which I found out was not very far away from the park we were in at the moment: I almost felt sad while leaving that beautiful place, especially since the brightness and lifelessness of the buildings we got greeted by at the exit could not even compare with the sense of calmness that the small forest provided. The little time we had to chat before we reached his house was hardly enough to discuss the serious topics I wanted to talk about and, even if we did have said time, my companion insisted we abstained from discussing such matters in public: honestly, I cannot understand why I was not the one to suggest that in the first place... maybe fatigue really is wearing me down...

The building his house was in, I discovered, was one of the very first buildings I saw upon arriving in this world, one of the monumental colossuses that stretched all the way up to the sky and reflected the darkness of the night and the gleam of the moon with their glass-made surfaces... it is a shame the inside is not as beautiful as the outside: the entry hall is painted dull white, which is already an outstanding eyesore, and the few decorations that are in the room are so random and unnecessary I am tempted to ask for the man that brought them in in the first place only to punch him on behalf of the entirety of this building's inhabitants. Seriously: how can a creepy white mask, the upper section of a bronze battle armour, a painting that reminds me a lot of this city viewed from above and, most irritatingly of all, a carpet that looks like a skin, fake by the way, of a black and white animal fit in the same room!? Not even the aristocracy decorates their homes like this, and they are champions when it comes to bad taste!

“Please, tell me this is  _not_ your home...” I sigh as I unwillingly enter the horrible building.

“Ha, very funny! No, mine's up above... fourth floor, in fact. You wanna climb the stairs or take the elevator?” he inquires, pointing at a closed metallic door next to a set of stairs; “I am not in the right mood to experiment tonight, so... would you mind if we took the stairs?” I ask, desperate for some rest. At first he eyes me estranged, but then agrees to climb the stairs all the way to his apartment.

His room is right next to the stairs, I find out: the doorway is made of a poor quality of brown wood and a plaque right above the centre reads '3-A'. He opens the door using a key he held in his shorts' pocket and allows me in: the first thing I see is a gigantic window that overlooks the road below the edifice... and stares directly into yet another building that is most certainly just like the one I am in at the moment. The room itself appears to be a perfect fusion of a bedroom, a kitchen and a living room: on the left stands the kitchen counter, which consists of... a lot of complicated machinery I have never seen before, the middle of the room is occupied by a huge green sofa made out of a leathery and somehow soft material and, between said sofa and the kitchen, a somewhat old wooden table with two chairs, and on the right stands a common white twin-sized bed. There is also a door that connects to another room on the far right, but I feel like I need not check that out right now.

“Phew, I'm exhausted!” Lepris says as he shifts into his more monstrous self and throws himself on the couch, clearly satisfied by the fact he can finally have some rest “So, this is my home. Kinda neat, huh?” he asks for my opinion while looking at me with his big, black eyes.

“It could sport some more decorations, but what you have here at the moment is more than enough, in my humble opinion.” I reply, with the little strength I have left; social norms impose me to keep conversing for as long as my host desires, but I really want to rest, even if just a bit...

“Yeah, this place could be much better...” he looks away, unsure of what to say “But hey, it could be worse... I mean, this is still better than having no home at all, right?” suddenly, his long ears stand rigidly upright as his jaw hangs wide open and his body becomes completely paralysed; he then falls to the ground, quickly recomposes himself and begins bowing at me once again, repeating the words “I'm sorry” over and over again. This is getting old already...

“Do not worry, I am not mad at you...” I make him stop as I explain, tired “I do still have a home, the problem is that... well... it's complicated, alright? Could we just... go to sleep, please? Today was the worst day of my life, and I want to end it as soon as possible.”

“S-Sure! Sorry, I didn't realize that... ah, darn it! Please, the bed is all yours.” with his permission, I take off my shoes, throw myself on the bed, rest my head on a soft pillow and fall in a deep slumber...

 

He's sleeping already, the poor guy... he really must have had a rough day. As I watch him slowly snuggle inside the blanket, I wonder whether bringing Red in was a good idea: on one hand, he's helped me both against those thugs and against those freaky monsters... even though it looked like it was his fault they came in the first place... plus, he's an otherkin, just like me, and he deserves what little help he can get. On the other hand, he's a complete stranger to me, and I've never really had any... no, that's not a good excuse. He stood up for me and saved my life: I should repay that kindness, in my own way.

“Plus, he's kinda cute.” the words escape my darn mouth before I can shut it with my paw: at first I try to improvise a good excuse, but then remember the dragon's sleeping like a rock. Thank God, I would've probably died if he actually listened... perhaps I should go to sleep too: tiredness is really making me act like a jerk... and like a dork.

“Sweet dreams...” I quietly wish him a good rest as I reach for the light switch and turn it off...

 

_These candid marble walls look... familiar... too familiar, in fact. “Come on, Sol! You are faster than that!” I hear myself shout, but I did not say anything: as a matter of fact, I do not even have control of my own body, who appears to be much smaller and weaker than I remember; even my voice has become like that of a child... perhaps because I now am one. The golden necklace I am wearing is producing a faint metallic sound as I run away from my pursuer._

_“Please, My Lord, I beg you... allow me to rest for a moment, please...” I slow down my speed only to see my retainer resting next to a pillar, trying to catch her breath: feeling a tad sorry for wearing her down like that, I fly to her and apologize... but, before I can say anything, she leaps at me and pins me down, a somewhat satisfied expression on her face “Oh, please, My Lord, do you truly believe me to be_ that _weak? I have much more stamina than you, and we are in a semi-open area: there was no reason for me to suddenly stop like that.” even though she has a point, I am quite angry at her for deceiving me like that._

_“I was just worried, that's all! You have no reason to ambush me like that!” I argue as she stands up before helping me get up as well “How was I supposed to know you had not stumbled or hit something on accident... is it really so wrong to care for someone you love?” I ask, still ired._

_“You forget, My Lord, that you are currently in training: I am supposed to mimic a potential assailant, and you cannot afford to be 'nice' to an enemy... unless you want to be stabbed in the back, of course.” I sigh in defeat, knowing full-well I should have expected something like that from her._

_I remember, now, when this occurred... yes, I definitely do: I was a child, filled with enthusiasm but lacking in virtue and training, and Sol was more or less the same age as me now... the only difference between her past self and her present self is that she once was a bit less empathic. I believe this was the day she began showing some... tenderness, if I recall correctly._

_“If I may ask, what is that necklace that you are wearing?” she inquires, only slightly interested._

_“Oh, this? My father gave it to me, as a present... but it does not really fit with my aesthetic, does it?” I reply, kind of embarrassed at the thought I was wearing an ornament commonly associated with the fair sex “Say, what if I were to gift it to you? It would look much better on you, trust me!” before she can object I forcefully make her wear that seemingly meaningless jewel: the pendant looks like the image of a dragon, its eyes are made out of shining red gems... a fine piece of jewellery indeed, but not one I am comfortable wearing._

_“M-My Lord, I... I cannot accept...” she attempts to remove it but I stop her “Please do: you deserve it. Today is your birthday, am I right? Then please, accept this gift as my thanks for always being there for me.” speechless, she tugs the pendant, confused “My... birthday...?” after a short while, she lets it go and turns her gaze to face me, lowering herself a bit so I do not have to stare up at her “This... is truly a wonderful gift. Thank you, My Lord: I shall conserve this pendant like the most sacred treasure for the rest of my life...”_

 

I finally manage to wake up upon noticing that the bed I am laying in is much different than the one I have been sleeping in for my whole life: I quickly get up, worried I might have been kidnapped or worse... before instantly recalling the events of the previous day. I have yet to fully accept the fact I am no longer in Draconia, for some reason; the events of yesterday appear to me more like nightmares than actual memories... and yet, they are far too vivid and scary to be illusions.

I realize I have slept with my clothes still on: that was not very hygienic, not at all... well, at least I had the decency to take off my shoes. I decide to put them on and look for Lepris, the shape-shifter if I recall correctly, and find him tinkering in the kitchen: he is still morphed into his non-human self, and his clothing has not changed either... apart from the pink apron with the drawing of a huge yellow heart and the words 'Kiss the Chef' that he is now wearing. It may sound quite rude, but I find that  garment very exhilarating: the fact I am not bursting in laughter is a miracle in and of itself... seriously, why would he ever buy, much less wear, something so stupid?

“Oh, hey! You're finally up!” he greets me, quite cheerful “I've cooked you eggs and sausages! You want them?” he grabs a plate next to him and starts heading towards the table in the centre of the room... but he suddenly trips and threatens to drop the plate: it is only through a combination of lightning reflexes, impeccable timing and a tiny bit of luck that I manage to catch the dish he prepared me mid-air, saving it from a premature end on Lepris's floor.

“Oh... my... God...” the man releases the breath he was holding in and lets himself fall on the chair next to the table “Man, I'm such a goof... you just woke up and you already had to fix a mistake I did!” as he seemingly drowns in despair, I put the plate on the table where it belongs and attempt to comfort him “Please, calm yourself: the dish has not gone to waste, I am perfectly fine... and, though it was not very pleasant, I am now fully awake thanks to you! So please, stop crying... and take off that nasty apron, please!” not only do I stop him from loathing himself, I also crack a smile on his face: it seems as though those social etiquette lessons I had to attend were not very... accurate, at all “Heh, you're right... this thing's useless.” he takes off his apron and throws it on the sofa, meanwhile encouraging me to eat the dish he has prepared for me.

Even though these eggs and sausages are moderately different from the ones I am used to, their familiar flavour somehow manages to make me feel less... alone; after finishing to eat my humble breakfast, I thank Lepris for cooking such a fantastic delicacy. “Y-You liked it!? Thank you! I'm not that great of a cook, but I tried hard!” he blushes upon hearing my praise.

After a few more compliments about the food and the house, I manage to bring the focus of the conversation where I wanted it all along “So, yesterday you called me an 'otherkin'... may I ask you what that is and why I am one?”

“Well, I call 'otherkin' all humans who can transform into animals... I don't know if there's a more 'official' name for us, so I'm rolling with it until someone gives me a better one!” before I can object and clarify that I am  _not_ a human, and therefore not an otherkin either, he adds to his explanation “You see, I'm the only otherkin I know of apart from you... and I was kinda wondering if there were others: one day, a few years ago, I found a bunch of people on 'Tumblr' calling themselves that and saying that they were dragons, wolves, foxes and the like... and I thought that, maybe, they were like me as well! But when I told them what I could do, they turned me down claiming I was a 'faker' and a 'troll'... and something else about 'checking my privilege'... I dunno, but the name stuck with me.”

“Pardon me, but I did not understand a word you just said... and I doubt I would even if you were to repeat yourself.” I stop him, wishing to clarify this misunderstanding immediately “Unfortunately for you, you are quite mistaken: I am not an otherkin, or even a human for that matter. I am a dragon, who once lived in a world inhabited solely by dragons: my human body is merely a facade I use to hide among your kin, and it is only allowed by this ring I am wearing.” I show him the black ring, but that is clearly the latest of his problems at the moment.

“W-Wait, what? You're kidding me, right? Please tell me you're joking and you don't really believe that...” not only does he not believe me, he now thinks I am raving... I should probably have expected it, but I am quite disappointed nonetheless. What I say now and how I say it will no doubt severely impact my future... and my relationship with Lepris.

“To be honest, I have never been more serious before.” I answer as I transform back into my draconic self, which he admires as amazed, surprised and, at the same time, terrified as he did last night “I should probably tell you what happened to me yesterday: perhaps this way you will find trusting me a bit easier...”

 

“O-Okay... I understand... kinda...” Lepris stands up and distances himself from the chair, unsure whether to believe what I just told him or not “So you just... expect me to believe everything you've said!? That not only are you a real, actual dragon... you also come from a world filled with dragons!? And that you're a prince who managed to escape alive as his castle got invaded by... other dragons!?”

“You forgot the part where I met a cat named Karma who could shoot laser beams out of magical cards.” I add that one last part to the overall summary, but then realize it might not have been a good idea.

“You're not making it easy for me to believe you!” he sighs a bit louder as he walks in circles around the room, pondering on what to do “I mean, yeah, you can spit fire and all, but... it's kinda difficult to believe you come from a whole other universe!” he stops walking and returns to his chair, a pained expression on his face “Then again, most comedians would've probably laughed once or twice at this point... so either you're telling me the truth or you're freaking crazy...” I do not know what to say, so I decide to stay calm and not speak a word until he quiets down.

“Okay, so let's pretend you're telling the truth.” his eyes meet with my own as his gaze becomes dead serious “You said that this 'cat', who might be another otherkin for all I know, assigned you a task to complete before Sunday... so, what is it? What does this guy want from you?” I briefly ponder whether I should tell this man what Karma advised me to do... before coming to the conclusion that, were I not to do it, I would completely lose my credibility. Besides, not even I know what exactly they asked me... perhaps this is the right moment to ask for elucidations?

“I would like to tell you but, before that, I need you to translate a key word they used: without it, not even I can understand the overall meaning of their message.” I tell Lepris, who immediately replies “Yeah, sure... what's that?”

“Pardon me if it's common knowledge in this world, but... what is a 'teenager with attitude'?” before a few seconds spent trying to realize what I just said in complete and utter silence, he suddenly starts laughing uncontrollably before falling off his chair and rolling on the ground like I just said the biggest idiocy in the world. That is not good at all.

 

“Since you said you would help me reclaim my kingdom, how, exactly, do you plan on doing that? If you are scheming something, I would like to be informed of the major details.” I tell the cat, who answers my question very eagerly “You're going to perform a direct attack on the capital, free your fellow dragons, eliminate the majority of the enemy defenses with their help and defeat the mastermind behind the attack.”

“...Are you insane?” I manage to ask, utterly confused by Karma's idea “By the time you will allow me to return to my kingdom, the enemy will have completely conquered the city and gained control of its every defensive position! Even if I were to attack right now, I would never be able to wipe them all out alone!” just then I realize how foolish I was to even think I would have been able to defeat the Thundarian menace by myself... even though my honour will never forgive me for it, perhaps Sol's idea of sending me away was, indeed, the most intelligent one.

“I can solve your 'time' problem...” Karma winks at me as his tongue sticks out “I will stop time in your world... well, kind of: it will still flow, but very slowly... by the time you'll come back, you'll find out that only a few hours will have passed; most likely just one, worst case scenario two.” I ask him if he can really do something as incredible as manipulating time, to which he answers “Even if I couldn't do it, I have a friend who can help me... so yeah, no problem.” at least they seem confident...

“Alright, now that that issue has been taken care of... what should I do until you allow me to return back to my world?” he decides not to answer me, and instead tells me to figure out the answer by myself; after a few seconds spent evaluating every option, I finally understand what they want me to do... and feel kind of stupid for having had to figure out such a simple conclusion “Gather allies...”

“Bingo.” he congratulates me for my wits before becoming even more serious “Here's the catch though: as I told you before, you can't rely on the system, You can't trust the police, you can't trust the masses and, most importantly of all, you can't trust the government. If your real identity were to be leaked, you'd be dead or worse before you even know it: people here tend to react harshly whenever they think they're being threatened... and they see everything they can't understand immediately as a threat.”

“So... that means I am alone.” I reply, disheartened.

“Not really... people in general are dumb, but single individuals aren't... sometimes, at least. You won't have an army to support you, so you'll have to resort to plan B...” their grin expands immensely as they explain what they have in mind “Recruit a team of teenagers with attitude! Guaranteed against evil sorceresses, intergalactic overlords and monstrous freaks who want to destroy all we hold dear!”

“A-Alright...” honestly, I do not know what to say... especially since I did not understand a word they just spoke “So, what should I do again?”

“You'll figure it out, don't worry... I'm sure everything will be clear to you if you let your fate guide you to your destination...” once again, the cat cares not if I actually understood... trusting them, or anything he says for that matter, becomes more difficult and even impossible with each word that exits their devious mouth...

 

“Well, this dude's a freaking genius...” Lepris says as I finish recalling the words the cat used the previous night, his laughter having quieted down a bit “Did they leave you their number or something? Because I'd be totally down for a chat with them!”

“The only thing they left me is the ring and their ominous words, but it appears as though they will return sporadically to check on me... and honestly, I cannot say I am thrilled.” I answer his question, glad that Lepris is finally taking me somewhat seriously “So, do you believe me now?”

“I mean, it's kinda hard, you know...” he mutters, still thinking about it “Hmm... you know what? Now that I think about it, it doesn't really matter...” he stands up and invites me to do the same “Even if you're lying or crazy, you're tons of fun! You're the first person who's ever talked to me so casually in years! I can't just dismiss you because you don't have any proof at the moment... besides, if you're not wrong, everything you've said right now will happen very soon, right? I just have to wait and see... and, in the meantime, we can be friends!”

“That is a wonderful idea.” I lend him my hand to shake “So, will you aid me, at least for the time being?” he immediately grabs my hand and shakes it energetically, a big friendly smile on his face “Yeah, sure! Count me in!”

As he ends the handshake, grabs the empty plate on the table and goes to what looks like a sink to wash it, I ask, interested “So, what is a 'teenager with attitude' anyway? You have not answered this question yet.”

“Well, it's a quote from a famous TV show, so maybe that cat just joking, but... teenagers are people aged thirteen to nineteen, you know? Like me: I'm eighteen, so technically I classify as one...” what a convenient coincidence... indeed, the fact that the first man I spoke to is exactly the kind of warrior I need by my side is far too incredible to be a mere fortuity. I will need to meet Karma again to be sure, but... perhaps fate really is by my side.

 

 


	5. The Fallen Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are never alone..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all those who have commented at least once.  
> You are the sole reason I keep writing. Just for you.

Me and Lepris spent quite a long time talking and conversing about various matters, mostly related to the world I now find myself into: I doubt I will be able to remember each single thing he said, but I think I can now understand most of the basic slang I will hear in my... sojourn here. As we are amicably chatting, his 'phone', which I found out is a human device used to talk to other people remotely, among many other functions (and, now that I know what it is, Karma's sudden burst of ire yesterday actually makes a lot more sense), rings an annoying tune for a few seconds: upon checking it out, he finds out it's already thirteen o'clock; the saying that 'time passes quickly when you are having fun' once again proves its validity...

“Man, it's already lunch time...” he sighs as he gets up from the sofa we were both sitting on; he then turns to me and inquires, somewhat displeased “So, uh... you wanna go eat? You sure you're not already full? Because I can wait if you're not hungry...”

“Why, thank you, but I am indeed quite empty-bellied...” I reply, unsure of whether I should be honest or not “It may be because I am not used to human cuisine, or perhaps it is a direct effect of waking up so lately, but... it may not be a bad idea to have lunch right now: at least that will take care of my appetite for the remainder of the day... hopefully.”

“Oh, great! I was worried I had ruined your routine...” he rubs the back of his fluffy head embarrassed “Okay, you want me to cook for you again or...”

“Your offer is quite generous, but I would like to visit the city if possible.” I ask him, an ingenious plan in mind “From the looks of it, I will stay here for a whole week... and the more exploration I do early on, the better I will fare on my own if we ever get separated.”

“Oh, right! Yeah, sorry for not thinking about it before... well, I'm gonna go prepare myself: if you need me, I'm in the bathroom over there!” he smiles at me as he runs towards, and subsequently enters, the door I saw yesterday and never bothered to inspect... apparently, that is the bathroom. A useful piece of information, I think, in case I desperately need to use the toilette.

While I wait for my friend to return, I take a look at myself and attempt to figure out whether I need to clean myself or change my clothes: a quick inspection reveals that not only has sleeping with my clothes not ragged them whatsoever, but that I do not require cleansing either. I also do not seem to be emitting any foul smells: whether that is a side effect of the transformation or a mere unseen oddity, I care not.

I then realize there is a mirror attached to the wall next to the bathroom's door, which I approach in order to better see my face: although my visage has changed to fit in with the humans around me, some features of my real body persist in this one as well. My hair is still as red and jagged as it once was, but a small fraction of it right above my right eye, which is as long as a few of the spikes that make out my hair, has turned silver grey, a change that I do not despise at all; my eyes, although they have rounded quite a bit, are still sharp in form and blood red in colour; what changed the most are my ears, apparently, and not in a way I like... but, thankfully, my hair covers them completely, saving me from their more than ungraceful sight. All things considered, I could look much worse than the way I do at the moment.

“Hey, do you need the bathroom for something?” Lepris, in his human form, opens the door to the blue room, wearing the same clothes he did yesterday; I tell him I do not need anything in particular, to which he answers “Alright then! We can go anytime you want! Even right now if you're feeling like it!”

 

****M** ** ****y name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After a troublesome night of rough encounters I met Lepris, a human 'teenager' with a friendly attitude and uncommon characteristics; he has already proven himself to be a valuable friend and ally, but I have a feeling he is going to be more useful to me in the long run than I originally thought...** **

 

 

The bar he is bringing me to is, from the looks of it at least, just around the corner of the street: Lepris informs me that he goes to said locale almost every day, due to it being in the near vicinity and also because the food there is cheap and delicious. Although I do miss my usual lunch packed with the most amazing delicacies my chefs can think of, that thought is soon suppressed by my great curiosity towards human cuisine: just what sorts of treats will I have the opportunity to taste in my time here, I wonder? My mouth is already watering...

“So... do you have any money on you?” the shape-shifter asks me as we walk towards our destination.

“Unfortunately, no: pardon me if I did not consider bringing with me my whole treasure as I desperately tried to save my kingdom...” I reply, quite annoyed by the 'rabbit' (at least that is what Lepris told me he can morph into) and his foolishness.

“Wow, that burns... though I deserve it, after what I said last night...” he laughs off my remark before adding “It's just that, since you don't have any money on you, I'll have to pay for your food too: sorry if I can't bring you to... I dunno, super-deluxe restaurants or something like that, but I have a pretty tight budget...”

“That is fine by me: I am not very picky when it comes to food, and I will make sure to repay and compensate you for your generosity after I manage to secure my homeland.” I reassure Lepris, whose face suddenly reddens as soon as I mention a compensation “W-Well, I mean... y-yeah, some extra money would be nice...” I am afraid I might have scared him... but I cannot just let him aid me without giving anything back, can I?

We reach the locale even more quickly than I originally imagined, and the place somewhat matches my expectations: the edifice is quite small compared to those around it, and the only two things that make it stand out from the others are its prominent green colour and the words 'The Old Abbey' written in huge white letters on a black sign right above the entrance door, which is made of beautiful brown wood. The space in front of the entrance is mostly desert, though there are two small flowerbeds filled with small plants between the door and the road; there is no way to tell what lays inside from our current position, as the only two windows that look towards the street are so dirty it is impossible to describe anything... someone should definitely clean them...

I decide not to pester the human about it and to, instead, enter said restaurant, hoping it looks better from within: the floor appears to be made of wood, but I quickly realize it is only a trick and that the floor is made of... ceramic or something similar; the walls also seem to be made out of wood at first, but touching them reveals they are an imitation too... I now cannot help but wonder if the door is but a fake as well. There are ten tables or so inside the locale, and around thirty chairs to accompany them... and thankfully, both of them appear to be made out of real wood: half of them are taken by adults and kids alike, so we decide to claim for ourselves the only table for two people that still remains empty.

As we sit, I immediately notice three shady men with odd hairstyles and creepy clothes eyeing us suspiciously from the table right next to us: as soon as they realize I am looking at them, they turn away and return to their inaudible chat. Hopefully they keep their business to themselves... but I have a strange feeling they were staring more at Lepris than me... just to be sure, I tell my friend to sit on the chair most far away from them, in case they try something funny. Although he obeys my directive, he does not understand why I told him to do so... perhaps it is better this way.

“Hey, check it out!” my comrade says as he points his index finger towards the corner of the room: a charming woman is singing aloud a song I have never heard before, but that is quite good to hear nonetheless “Someone's singing over there! She's pretty good too...” I do recall him telling me people are allowed to sing in this eating place as they wait for their food, but I am quite surprised someone actually had the courage to begin singing so freely and outstandingly at this hour of the day. The woman is more or less Lepris's age but she looks, acts and behaves as if she were double that amount: no dragoness, not even Sol, ever showed so much femininity and comeliness at once... in fact, I never saw anyone enjoying themselves, what they are and what they do as much as this woman is doing right now. She is wearing a long red coat secured to her waistline by three tight black leather belts, red fingerless leather gloves and, from what I can tell, red boots with somewhat high heels; she has long straight black hair enveloped by a worn silver and black ribbon, enchanting purple eyes that are sparkly just like the nightly sky and lips as dark as obscurity itself... the skin around her eyes is too dark to be normal though, which makes me believe for an instant this woman is horribly ill or even undead: upon telling Lepris, though, he immediately dismisses my theories and instead insists that she is only wearing 'make-up', or 'artificial facial decorations'. Quite interesting, I tell myself... perhaps it is this semi-artificial beauty of hers that is intoxicating my eyes so strongly.

Her singing is accompanied by many odd instruments and a manly voice, but I cannot see who is producing either of them... the only thing I can do is listen spellbound as she chants what appear to be the last words of her song “After all the darkness and sadness... soon comes happiness... if I surround myself with positive things... I'll gain prosperity! I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it, I'm not gon' stop, I'm gon' work harder! I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it, I'm a survivor, keep on survivin'!” the rest of her audience claps audibly as she ends her performance and, were it not for a sudden feeling of shyness, I would be clapping louder than all of them combined: singers so good are rare in my kingdom, and even rarer are songs so powerful and meaningful... though I suspect this is but one of many, and I cannot wait to hear more. The woman realizes I was staring at her and seductively winks at me, causing my cheeks to burn with red fire... to avoid further embarrassment, I turn towards Lepris and discover our waiter is already here and ready to take our orders.

“I'll take a Cornish pasty, thanks.” he tells the man dressed formally in white, who then turns to me and asks, in a very formal tone “And you, sir?”

“I will order...” although it was quite nice to listen to that woman, now that I did I cannot recall what was on the menu... in fact, I never even read the menu! That is so shameful... there is only one thing to do in a situation like this “...Yes, I will order a Cornish pasty as well, thank you.” when you do not know what to take, let others decide for you... indirectly, of course: the worst thing that could happen is I will not like my dish... but that is a much better alternative than suffering the humiliation of opening the menu in front of the waiter.

“Get me one of those as well.” the mysterious woman says as she suddenly appears behind me; she then grabs a chair from a nearby empty table and sits next to the both of us, a gesture that neither of us expected at all “Don't you worry you two, I can pay for myself... and for you two as well if you want.” her voice is just as beautiful in person as it was from a distance, but her beauty does not seem to be enchanting Lepris in the same way it did with me “N-No, don't worry: I'll pay for us all... who are you again?” he asks as the waiter leaves to bring our orders to his colleagues in the kitchen.

“Someone who thought it'd be nice to have a little chat with you boys.” she simply says as she grabs the water the waiter brought us and pours it into my glass; before drinking the liquid, she asks, almost entertained by our surprised expressions “Why are you looking at me like that? A lady can't be seen eating alone: it'd make me like look like a total loner!” she does have a point... but Lepris is still not convinced “You haven't answered my question: who are you?”

“That's a good question...” she says as she puts down the glass and caresses her lips with her right index finger “My, I haven't thought of that yet... give me a sec, dears...” she then begins whispering repeatedly the letter 'F', before finally concluding “Yeah, that should be good enough! Name's Fortune, 'Miss' Fortune... and you?” she turns to face us both “What are your names, dears?”

“Greetings, Miss Fortune: my name is Red, and the boy here is Lepris. We are both pleased to make your acquaintance.” I politely respond as the waiter comes to our table once again to deliver the woman her silver cutlery... and another glass for me, since she stole the one I once had.

As the man leaves, my comrade asks the lady, very suspicious “Yeah, that's totally not crazy: what do you want from us?” to be honest, his suspicion is entirely legitimate: this woman is very shady, and even I cannot understand why she decided to join us.

“As I said, I just want to chat... is that so wrong?” she smirks as her intriguing gaze perforates the rabbit's eyes; she then whispers us, making sure nobody else can hear her “Besides, you two seem very... interesting people. Trust me, dear, I can tell when someone's _special_... and you two don't look like ordinary people at all: so, if someone here should be asking the other to show their hand, it'd be me.” Lepris begins sweating copiously as soon as she finishes her sentence, immediately panicking upon realizing our cover has been instantaneously blown: feeling a bit sorry for causing that reaction, but still maintaining her composure, she then reassures him “Oh, darling, please don't start crying! I'm your friend, see? You can trust me: you're not the only two weirdos I've ever seen in my life... but you definitely have the coolest hair out of all of 'em.” she chuckles, probably referring to me “I ain't with the government, the police or some sort of secret organization... I just want to get to know you two better, and afterwards I'll be gone. I promise not to reveal your secrets to anyone. Alright?”

“Alright...” Lepris mumbles, still scared “I don't know how much we can trust you, but... I guess we don't have a choice...” I check on the people around us, making sure nobody can hear my friend's explanation: the three hooded men have apparently already eaten their lunch, but they do not seem eager to leave the restaurant... and they still look at our table from time to time. Definitely suspicious.

“I don't trust those guys...” Fortune whispers me in my ear as she darts a ferocious gaze at the three men, who immediately divert their eyes from ourselves “Keep an eye on 'em.” she advises me as our waiter finally arrives with our food: it appears to be some sort of bread-thing full of meat and vegetables... it looks simple, but the flavour it emanates is enough to make me instantly forget about the three hoodlums.

As we eat our lunch undisturbed, me and Lepris explain to our new acquaintance what we are and what we can do: I also tell her about Draconia, my kingdom and what happened to my home-town the previous day... but, strangely enough, Lepris refrains from mentioning anything about his past life, probably unwilling to reveal such personal information to a stranger. The woman seems satisfied with our statements and comments, looking at me “So, you're a dragon...” she then turns to Lepris “...And you're an 'otherkin', right? Can't say I've ever heard that word before... and it's kinda hard to imagine it too, but alright.”

“You mean you find a human who can turn into a rabbit more strange than a literal freaking _dragon_?” Lepris asks, almost offended “Seriously, what's wrong with you? And didn't you say you had experience with people like me?”

“You misunderstood: I never said that.” she says as she drinks another glass full of water “And the only reason why I find his story a bit easier to believe is because I've already stumbled upon kingdoms full of mythical creatures who shouldn't exist...” before the shape-shifter can make another question, she silences him “Just because you've never heard of something, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist at all... you should know this better than anyone else, mister shape-shifter.”

After a brief time spent wondering, Lepris asks the woman, uncertain “So, you've never heard of people who can turn into animals before? Even under a different name?” he appears to be resigned, and I can perfectly understand why.

“Look, I won't lie to you: I'm not the right person to ask that question to.” Fortune almost seems sad for the rabbit, but she is trying to comfort him the best she can “I'm sorry darling, but it's only been a few hours since I arrived: finding out if there are others like you will be hard, and there's a lot of research I need to do... but don't freak out, alright? Give me some time, and I promise I'll return with some answers.” she begins tapping her lower lip with her right index finger, thinking about something “Though, knowing how it usually works... you can bet you'll figure it out much faster than me: trust me, that's usually how it goes.” this human is being far too cryptic for my taste... an attitude that reminds me quite a lot about Karma. I wonder if the two are connected, in some way... it would definitely explain some aspects of her behaviour, but making hasty assumptions has never helped anyone before.

“Alright, at least that's _something_...” Lepris sighs as he stands up “I'm going to the bathroom, be right back!” he then quickly runs to a door on the opposite side of the restaurant and disappears inside.

I am about to continue discussing with the Miss when she signals me to turn around, clearly displeased “Look over there...” as soon as I turn, I spot the three suspicious men walking slowly towards the bathroom and entering the same door my comrade did... that cannot be good at all.

“I assume it is not a human custom for men to all go to the bathroom together, is it?” I ask ironically as I get up, ready for action.

“Nope: only snobby little girls do that nowadays.” she says as she proceeds to follow me, a fierce expression on her elegant visage “I'm going in.”

“Are you sure? Last time I checked, that was the men's bathroom.” I reply as I walk towards the toilets, Fortune in tow “Rules are meant to be broken: some stupid social customs never stopped me from rolling.” from what I can gather, this is not even the first time she so blatantly ignored the rules... I already like this girl: she reminds me of myself in this sense.

As we enter the room, we immediately hear loud noises coming from the men section of the toilets: we rush inside only to find the three goons yelling and threatening my friend, who is quickly being forced into the corner of the room... the situation could escalate at any given moment, and I still do not understand why they are doing this.

“Hey, you three!” Fortune yells at the three men in a tone that clearly presages her repressed fury; the trio immediately turns towards her, surprised... they probably were not expecting anyone to stop them “Leave that poor guy alone, will you? He doesn't deserve this kind of treatment.” Fortune adds, ready to brawl. After a brief time spent processing her request, the three guys laugh audibly, not unsettled in the least.

“Oh, come on, we're just having fun, you see?” what appears to be the leader, a man slightly smaller than his two companions, leaves Lepris in the 'care' of his two allies and starts making his way towards the woman at my side; he is standing right in front of her when he finally says “Don't tell me you really care about this darn fa-” before he can finish uttering his sentence, the lady slaps the man in the forehead with outstanding speed and strength, sending him flying towards the other end of the room... until his flight is abruptly ended by the wall behind him, which painfully stops him. Lepris takes advantage of the confusion of his two captors to dash to our side of the room, grateful to the woman for having come to his rescue.

Even though the crisis has been averted, Fortune does not seem to be willing to let the three evildoers go unpunished “Sorry dear, but I don't appreciate this kind of humour... I'm afraid I'll have to teach you three gentlemen how to speak to a lady such as myself.” the humans do not appear to be scared of the lady at all... in fact, they seem rather eager to make her eat her words; I do not understand how they can be so confident... especially if even I am now scared of the woman's rapidly building rage.

As the two parties prepare to engage, the door to one of the five toilets on our right suddenly opens and a grown wide man comes out of it, his face filled with pure terror, before running towards the exit... wait, what is that tail of white paper that is sticking out of his pants?

“You got toilet paper sticking out of your trousers, dear!” Fortune shouts at the man, who throws that thing away embarrassed before finally leaving the room... now it's just us and them “It's time to be bad...” the lady whispers as she prepares to take all the men on at once. She is not requesting for our help, and probably does not even need it, so I whisper Lepris to not interfere in the battle at all: I wish to see what the woman can do, and he does not seem to be objecting.

The closest of the three thugs runs towards Fortune before lunging at her with his right clenched fist: she easily stops the incoming attack by deviating it with the help of her forearm, and repeats this operation a second time as he attempts to hit her once more with his other fist. Realizing his current tactic is flawed, the hoodlum attempts to hit her upper parts with a well-placed kick... but the woman's lightning reflexes once again prove superior and she instantaneously blocks his incoming attack by holding his leg tightly between her left arm and armpit: she then proceeds to break the enemy's femur right in the middle by thrusting it with her right hand alone, causing the man to loudly cry in pain; she then further breaks his leg by rotating it rightwards in a way I did not think possible, doubling the power of his cry... before finally silencing her opponent for good with another thrust of her right hand, this time on his right shoulder, which immediately makes him drop to the ground unconscious... at least I want to believe he is unconscious. I do not want to imagine how he will feel upon waking up...

“Who's next?” Fortune asks ironic as she sets her sight on the other goon: the person at issue loses no time and reaches out for the nearby ceramic wash basin, grabs the metallic spout on top of it, uses all his strength to pull it out and then throws it at the Miss as water starts jetting out of the broken sink... a useless feat, since Fortune grabs the object mid-air with one hand alone just before it could hit her in the face. As the human trembles in fear before the lady's prowess, she throws the metallic pipe in the air above the man, who follows it with his gaze, preoccupied by the lady's gesture... but fails to notice Fortune sliding right below him and upper-cutting him hard in his thighs: a very dishonourable move, but one that completely eliminates the thug from the game. Seeing the spout land right on his face after he collapsed only added the insult to the injury.

“And now, you...” she refers to the leader of the small gang as he shivers in the corner of the room, a few drops of blood coming out of his nose “Have you learned your lesson, bad boy?” she inquires provocative as she walks up to him; the leader of that bunch of fools, who clearly did not learn anything from the horrible ends of his partners, attempts to punch the woman by surprise... but he, too, is stopped by the Miss, who blocks the incoming fist with her own hand before slowly crushing it between her palm and fingers; the noise of bones cracking and breaking can be heard perfectly even from where I am standing right now, along with the silenced whimpers of that laughable human.

“Now, say that you won't do this ever again.” she says as more bones shatter “Say it!”

“I won't do this again! I swear!” he shouts, begging for this torture to stop; at first the lady lets him go and pretends to leave, but then unexpectedly turns around and finishes him off with one powerful kick to the face, which sends him flying once again towards the left-most wall and finally knocks him unconscious.

“My, what a mess I've made today...” she says as she finally takes notice that the water from the broken sink is beginning to pour on the floor “Good thing I won't be paying for any of this...” she decides to leave the unconscious bodies of her assailants behind and to nonchalantly return to me and my friend with a gleeful look on her face “Seriously, this was far too easy... maybe I should've let you two boys handle it... which reminds me...” she then turns to face Lepris before asking “Why were they picking on you? They were staring at you ever since you entered this horrible place: did you do something to upset them?” I, too, am eager to hear his explanation... which he eventually manages to spit out, but not without a whole lot of difficulty “They just... cornered me and started making fun of me for how I look... and then they began calling me names and stuff...” he seems to be on the verge of crying, and I do not know how to help him... Gods, am I useless in this situation...

“Oh, darling...” Fortune smiles sympathetic as she hugs the poor man, who seems to be on the verge of crying “And let me guess, you didn't want to hurt them back, right? You thought that, if you did fight back, you would've only made matters worse...” he nods, but does not answer anything “Poor thing... you're just like _her_... too precious for this world...” she holds him by the chin and gently forces him to look at her in the eyes “Look, it's alright to defend yourself if you're attacked by idiots like these: if you can't protect even yourself, how are you going to protect your friend if he ever needs your help?” she winks at him, for whatever reason, and afterwards she lets him go “Well, I'm outta here: I don't wanna be here when the police arrives... and frankly, neither should you.” before she can leave the room, I stop her by shouting “Tell Karma I said hi.”

She stops, turns around and replies, unconcerned “You're a smart one, aren't you? I guess I could do that... if I could find them, that is.”

“Wait, you mean this 'Karma' really does exist!?” Lepris inquires, far too surprised... did he really still have doubts? I suppose uncertainty really is hard to suppress.

“Of course darling... and you should feel lucky you haven't met that madman yet: he knows full-well how to take advantage of innocent cinnamon rolls like you...” her sentence makes me wonder for a brief moment if I did the right thing trusting them, but Fortune quickly snaps me out of my confusion “See you later, dearies! Hope you both live long enough to see me again!” she then disappears through the door, leaving us to ourselves.

“What... what was that?” the shape-shifter asks me, not knowing what to say “Who was she?”

“Most likely, an agent of Karma: they did say they wanted to keep me in check... I bet they are constantly observing us, even without recurring to people like her. Moreover, it looked like she was only using a fraction of her power: I cannot help but wonder just how powerful she is...” I answer the main questions my friend must be asking himself “Now, let us move: as she said, remaining here would not be very wise... in fact, we should leave this place post-haste.” and so, after hastily paying our bill to a waiter who is clearly oblivious to what just occurred in the bathroom of his own restaurant, we leave 'The Old Abbey', never to return... hopefully we will not have this kind of treatment everywhere we go.

 


	6. Honour-bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Who can you save, and who will you save?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I finally received some comments! That's really good! I hope more and more people begin to interact with me, even if only once in a while: I truly do like answering questions and replying to your feedback, it gives a meaning to my day!
> 
> Sorry if this chapter in particular is not as lengthy or action-packed as the others, but not all chapters are amazing, I guess. I will make up for it with the next one, I promise. =3

It's only been a few hours since me and Lepris left that nice restaurant, and nothing important has happened ever since: after briefly showing me the neighbourhood he lives in, a rather dull, boring and uninspired one if I may add, he decided it would be best for me to visit the city centre... an idea I was perfectly fine with, honestly. Although there were a few interesting spots near Lepris's home, nothing really caught my interest... perhaps the inner parts of the city would have piqued my curiosity a bit more the periphery did, I thought.

Lepris's instinct did not fail me in the least and, as soon as we arrived in what is apparently called the 'Five Digits' district, I was astounded by the enthusiasm and loudness of the people around me. The plaza we were now in was constantly flooding with all kinds of people: some small, some tall, some young, some old, some dressed casually, some very luxuriously... the only two things they all had in common were that all of them were extremely busy entering and exiting non-stop the countless shops that delimited the area, and that all of them were carrying with a certain difficulty at least three or four bags that probably weighed far more than they themselves.

At first the name of the district got me a bit confused, but Lepris did the best he could to clarify it to me “Well, there are five squares in the district, and all of them are really popular shopping areas: this one's called 'Marilyn Square', I think, then there's 'Remington Square', 'Fame Square' and then... oh, crud, I don't remember...”

“That's alright: I need not know the exact names anyway. Why is it called 'Five Digits' instead of, for example, 'Five Squares', though?” I asked, curious.

“I don't know... I once read it has something to do with phone booths or something like that, but I'm not sure.” he then explained me what 'phone booths' are, since I obviously could not know... and, now that I do, I can understand why there are so few of them around nowadays: it's the same reason why my people fight with swords and not with sticks, after all. Efficiency is key, both in life and in war.

I then accompanied Lepris on an errand to find some new clothes, since he wanted something new to wear tomorrow for some kind of... reunion...? To be honest, I was not paying much attention to his ramblings, so I do not remember what he needs to prepare for exactly. That search lasted far longer than it should have and, when he finally settled on a simple blue t-shirt (which, for the record, starred a small grey 'rabbit' eating an orange vegetable while muttering the unusual sentence “Carrots are the best!”), we were both exhausted from all the walking we did: as I once said, I do not walk around aimlessly very often, and prefer to fly around instead for obvious reasons... my time on 'Earth' is making me pity wingless dragons much more than it should.

Afterwards, we decided to take a small break and have a good rest on one of the many wooden benches that were scattered around the area... and, although most of them had already been taken, one of them was thankfully free: a miracle indeed, which we both very much appreciated. Now that he had done everything he needed to, Lepris told me we were now free to go wherever I wanted or simply relax for a bit if I did not feel like doing anything at all... and then left me immediately afterwards to go buy something called an 'ice cream'. Five minutes have passed since he left, and he has yet to return... and, as time passes, my worry only increases...

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. While having lunch in a simple restaurant, I met a lady named Fortune, who I found out works for none other than Karma themselves: she appears to be quite friendly, unlike her crazy boss, and has expressed concerns for Lepris's behaviour... and, honestly, I cannot say I disagree with her...**

 

Boredom is getting to me once again and I have very limited options to get rid of it: without anything better to do, I look around and inspect my surroundings, hoping to find something that can pique my interest once more... it does not take me too long to find what I believe is what I am looking for. Right behind the bench I am sitting on, there is a rather large shop window that apparently belongs to no shop in particular, since there are no signs anywhere around it or doors that lead into the edifice whatsoever... what makes me curious in particular, though, is the large device that stands behind the showcase: it appears to be a screen of some sort, but the image it is showing moves and changes every instant, in a way I never thought possible... it is currently depicting a quite distressed human lady, who is reading a white paper aloud in what appears to be a grandly decorated office of some sort.

A few unsettled people are standing in front of the window right now, watching intently as the woman whispers something to them that I cannot quite understand. Whatever that thing is, it definitely looks important, since more and more people are gathering in front of it... needless to say, I do not lose any time: I grab the bag containing Lepris's new shirt, which he left me before leaving to get one of those 'ice cream' things, and immediately run to take a front-row seat (rhetorically speaking) to watch and listen to the human elder.

“Yet another victim of the mysterious deceases that involve dozens of kids and teens in our very nation was discovered this morning: this time, it was a girl named Bethany Hansen, sixteen, daughter of the famous enterpriser Alan Hansen, to pass away mysteriously in unknown circumstances.” I do not know how this machine operates, but from what I can gather its purpose is to inform the public of some very important news thanks to the lady inside of it... and, upon learning that simple fact, a strange feeling of regret fills my heart, a feeling I cannot quite explain; meanwhile, the screen shifts to show a picture of a park just like the one I visited yesterday evening, but that is not quite the same “As stated by her father, Bethany was returning home after leaving early a party hosted by one of her school friends at his home in Raven Avenue: she was later found dead in the middle of Hartmann park this morning at roughly six o'clock, when a jogger found her and immediately called an ambulance. However, it was too late: according to the forensics, the girl expired yesterday at around eleven o'clock.” the screen then transitions to a very old man, dressed in a long white cape, who adds “Bethany's death follows the same exact pattern as all others before hers: total heart failure and, simultaneously, total brain failure, both of which were instantaneous and asymptomatic. At the moment we're completely clueless as to what caused these failures to begin with: her health was in the norm, and she did not drink any alcoholic drinks or even assume drugs of any kind while at the party, or even before. One thing we're sure of, though, is that these deaths, Bethany's included, aren't random, at all.” the screens returns to the lady dressed formally, who concludes the report “Although the police stated multiple times this doesn't appear to be the case, most people now believe these deaths to be the work of an unknown, highly specialized serial killer: even though we do not believe in this theory, we at 'InstaNews' recommend everyone watching not to leave their house late in the evening for the next couple of days, unless strictly necessary. We'll return with Bethany's father and her friends' testimonies after the weather forecast..” the screen then shifts to a very formal man, who explains what the weather will be like in the next couple of days... needless to say, I lose all interest immediately.

I do not know if I want to hear what those other people have to say about the girl, but I do know I have little to no interest in the weather... I just want to sit down for a while, and ponder about what I already know. Thankfully, nobody sat on the bench in my absence, so I hastily reclaim it before Lepris can see me infringing my promise to keep his seat.

The shape-shifter arrives soon afterwards, holding two brown cones in his hands: both of them act like containers for a strange white substance that cumulates above them... and they both appear to be rather tasty, for some reason.

“Ta-daa! Surprised? I got one for you as well!” he says as he hands me the leftmost of the two cones: a faint scent of sugar and milk emanates from the treat, but that only makes my taste buds more excited to eat it. After learning from my friend how to properly consume this snack, I proceed to lick it from top to bottom, eagerly munching on this... frozen delicacy: I soon learn not to eat it too fast, as doing so freezes my head just as quickly... but I find controlling myself quite hard, to be honest. This 'ice cream' is one of the best snacks I have had in a while... and the perfect way to shake those nasty thoughts away from me, at least for one moment.

Soon after finishing my cone, I hear a voice right next to me ask “Hey, why are you so quiet? You haven't even thanked me for the ice cream...” I realize the man who just spoke to me is Lepris, who seems to be extremely concerned for my well-being... darn, I even forgot he was here in the first place: what is wrong with me?

“Is something wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost!” he further inquires, quite unsettled by my odd behaviour.

I sigh embarrassed as I reply “You are perfectly right: pardon me, I am indeed grateful for your kind thought... I was just thinking on something that is bugging me quite a lot.” he then asks me to explain myself, and I do just that “While I was waiting for you, I noticed an old lady speaking from inside those screens over there, giving out precious information to everyone willing to listen... so I checked it out for a moment, and learned of some mysterious deaths that have happened in the recent period.” he follows my gaze and spots the devices I am talking about “Oh, alright... yeah, that's the news for you: if you want, I can teach you how it works-”

“Lepris, I am sorry, but that is the last thing that concerns me at the moment...” I immediately stop him, my pain begging to be let out “That girl, Bethany or whatever, died yesterday at eleven o'clock: I woke up in your world one hour before! If only I knew where she was, if only Karma told me about it... maybe I could have helped her! Maybe I could have even saved her life!” I calm down a little and add, very disappointed in myself “I feel like it's all my fault...”

“Oh, come on! Don't be so harsh on yourself!” Lepris softly embraces my back with his arm, trying desperately to snap me out of my depression “What if you really did know she was gonna die? If you didn't know what would've caused her death in the first place, you wouldn't have been able to avoid it either... and, if they didn't say anything, it's likely this Karma guy didn't know about her death too: nobody can read the future, after all. Seriously, there's no reason to hate yourself for something like this!”

“Well, there are rumours this is a killer's doing: if this were really the case, then maybe I could have stopped them!” I try to object, but he immediately dismisses my claim “But there's no proof this 'killer' even exists! I read some articles about these happenings, and from what I can gather there's 'no evidence of wounds of any kind on the victim's bodies' or anything like that: if somebody really is murdering these kids, then you have to explain me how they're doing it!” he does make a valid point... maybe I really am taking it too far.

“I... I am sorry: stress really is getting to me...” I apologize, disgusted with the way I spoke to my own friend “Maybe I am taking it too personal... perhaps I am overreacting because of what happened to my kingdom yesterday: I was not able to save anyone, back then... and I do not want that to happen ever again...”

“I know...” he pats me on the shoulder and smiles at me, confident “I'm sure you'll get through this, and I'll do my best to help you-”

“Hey, look at those two sweethearts over there!” I hear a man shout from a distance, followed by the laughter of a few more people: four humans, one of which is a horribly dressed woman, is chatting between themselves, seldom looking in our direction “Look at that one: isn't he dressed like, a schoolgirl? They should make dressing like that illegal in this country...” from what I can gather, they have the clear intent of mocking us, more specifically my friend, from afar; they have no intention of challenging us upright. but they do want to get our attention... Lepris is deliberately ignoring them and is attempting to convince me to do the same, but I will not be stomped any more by the likes of them.

“You four! Do you know anything about 'good manners'? Because I find what you are doing right now very offensive!” I stand up and shout at the group, full of rage; its members appear to be very surprised by my intervention, and are not saying anything at the moment “I do not know why you are mocking me or my friend, but you better stop right now before I make you regret your words!” Lepris immediately stands up as well, but not for the reason I hoped he would: he desperately tries to stop me from confronting them, almost as if he were scared of these filthy barbarians.

“Heh, I would listen to your girlfriend if I were you, mate!” one of the three men says with a thick accent, prompting the other two and the girl to chuckle “Whatever, we need to go somewhere else anyway... bye, weirdo!” as they all disappear in the ever-growing crowd, one of the other two men turns towards Lepris, bows mockingly and adds “M'lady!” before running away with the rest of his crew. It takes all my patience (and Lepris's firm hand) to prevent me from hunting those fools down like the insufferable brats they are... though what just happened reminds me of something important I never had a chance to talk about with my friend.

“Alright, we need to discuss some serious matters.” I look at my comrade, who turns away from me, both scared and horribly embarrassed “Why do so many people harass you? First yesterday night, then today at lunch time... and now this! I am beginning to think I am missing some very important detail... one that I want _you_ to explain me yourself: why do so many people bully you... so casually?”

He does not answer immediately, and instead returns to the bench, sits down and invites me to do the same: evidently this revelation is even more important than I originally thought. He sighs heavily as he answers, somewhat ashamed of himself “...Because of the way I dress.”

“Is that it?” I reply, somewhat confused “I mean, I understand the way you dress could confuse someone into thinking you are not a male, but apart from that I sincerely cannot comprehend what is the issue-”

“That _is_ the issue!” he replies harshly “Look around, Red: I'm the only person dressing so lightly in the whole plaza... doesn't that seem a bit odd to you? Besides, look at my shirt colour: it's freaking _pink_ , which is also my favourite colour... do you still not get it? The way I dress doesn't confuse people: on the contrary, it lets them know precisely what kind of person I am...” I see many people walking around right past us, but none of them are bothered by our discussion... are they really so immersed in their own business they cannot even notice our bickering?

“Does that mean you are... a woman?” I inquire, very confused.

“No... oh, for crying out loud!” he clearly wants to say something important, but embarrassment is preventing him from saying it and that seems to be bugging him quite so; after some time spent angrily muttering something inaudible, he finally erupts “I'm gay, alright?” well, now I know what is troubling him... and yet, that does not help me in the least: what is a 'gay'? I ask for further explanation, which makes him even more furious “It means I 'like' guys just like you 'like' girls! It's that simple!” oh, I get it now... wait, why would a male 'like' another male... in _that_ way?

“Wait, is that really... something that can happen?” I ask, genuinely surprised “Father never explained that aspect of 'love' to me... and I cannot say I ever heard something even remotely similar from anyone else either... I have to admit, I cannot understand the logic behind it...”

“You're _not_ helping Red...” he sighs, rather upset by my response; feeling like I crossed the line, I immediately apologize and ask a more... sensible question “Is this sort of... mindset allowed in your society?”

“I mean... yeah, in theory.” he replies as he turns the other way, probably not wanting me to look at him crying; it appears as though his rage is slowly shifting into sadness, but I cannot say for sure that it's an improvement “Lots of people are open-minded and support, or at least tolerate, that kind of mentality... but there are still lots of bigots around, and I'm the perfect target for them to pick on.” he chuckles grimly before adding, in a very depressing tone “It's ironic, you know? I began dressing like this because I wanted to be loved for who I am... because I wanted to feel safe... but, ever since then, my situation only got worse: I guess this shirt isn't doing a very good job at protecting me, huh?” I did not know he suffered this much because of something so silly... this is all my fault, I should not have acted the way I did with him: I need to remedy my mistake at once.

“Do not listen to those people: you are fine just the way you are.” I tell Lepris, who turns towards me with tearful eyes; I add, hoping to sound enough convincing for him to actually listen to what I have to say “It's true, I never heard of male dragons that love other male dragons... but that does not mean I do not respect the fact at all! My father once told me that love bypasses military rank, social status and even tribe membership... so why not gender barriers as well?” a faint smile appears on his face, meaning my attempts at persuading him are working smoothly “Really?” he asks for my confirmation, still somewhat scared “You're not saying this just to make me feel better, are you?”

“Of course not! However, please allow me to say that, in the end, what is most important in a solid relationship is not physical attraction, but mutual trust, mutual support and mutual passion: once you find someone who you can have this kind of relationship with, you will know you have found your real soulmate... it might even be a girl, for all you know!” I make a little joke at the end, which he quite approves and appreciates: knowing I made the right approach makes me feel quite happy with myself, and also makes me realize I have gone a long way since yesterday... it's amazing to think I matured so much in only one day.

“Thanks man, I really needed it.” Lepris thanks me for my moral support, and adds “You know, up until now I never stood up for myself because I felt like it wouldn't have changed anything, that bigots would've remained bigots no matter what I did... but now I understand what Fortune told me before: I have to fight for myself and what I believe in, or at least try... it might not mean anything in the long run, but I have to believe it will.”

“Indeed, that's the spirit! Now, let us go-” I am interrupted by a loud, far too loud noise: it looks like... an explosion? A very near one as well, maybe only one or two districts away... everyone in the plaza is losing their minds, running around like foolish children, attempting to seek shelter from this invisible menace; however, I, for one, cannot follow their example, and immediately run in the direction of the blast with Lepris in tow.

“Hey, where are you going?” he inquires, slightly panicked.

“Towards the source of the commotion!” I reply, trying to be brief to save some air in my lungs “There might be people in danger! You know I cannot simply ignore the possibility!” my explanation appears to have been enough: my friend sighs in defeat as he comments “Alright, then: let's go be the heroes...”

 

Panic is rapidly spreading all over the city as the streets overflow with screaming citizens and a massive number of those coloured vehicles Lepris calls 'cars': in the span of only two minutes, crossing the street has become an activity as risky as gambling your entire treasure... but we cannot let something as stupid as that stop us, and bravely risk our lives for the cause... while, in the meantime, earning lots of insults and curses from the fleeing humans that, I find out, live inside those metallic monsters.

Eventually, we reach the source of the explosion: in the middle of a now empty street stands a burning, half-destroyed five-story house that appears to be on the verge of collapse... the first floor is enveloped in an ocean of flames, which prevents anyone still inside from fleeing the edifice. I can see a woman and two kids screaming and waving their arms behind an open window on the fourth floor, but, apart from theirs, no other window is open and no other people are requesting to be saved: I can only hope they are the only people still inside, because they appear to be the only ones we can possibly help... that is, if I can come up with a plan first.

As we approach the building, a woman with long brown hair, sharp blue eyes, a long olive jacket and an air of superiority stops us “What are you doing? Run away! This area is extremely dangerous: that building could crumble at any moment!” it appears as though she has self-appointed herself to chief of operations... although there is nobody over here to give orders to: from what I have seen. people are too busy protecting themselves to help the people who are really in danger... utterly disgusting.

“We are here to help.” I inform her, a determined look on my face “What's the status? Is there anyone else inside the building?” at first she does not know what to answer, seemingly shocked by my bold statement, but she regains her composure a moment later and responds “Only those three, apparently: from what I can gather, the other tenants were not inside at the moment of the explosion... there's no way to be sure, though.”

“Why are they still inside? Aren't there any fire-escape stairs they can use to get out?” Lepris asks, probably referring to those staircases I usually see on the side of houses and other similar-looking buildings: a quick glance at the edifice reveals there really are no such stairs... but there is a mass of black contorted metal lying on the side, which could have possibly been what he is asking for.

“The fire-escape stairs were destroyed in the explosion, and cannot be used to evacuate the building...” the woman explicates, a desperate look on her face; as more and more rubble falls from atop the edifice, she adds, quite concerned “At this rate, the building will crumble before the firefighters can even arrive...”

“Not if we intervene!” I hush her and turn to Lepris “Can you reach that window?”

“Not by myself...” he replies as his legs transform into those of a rabbit “I'll need your help to propel me there.” the lady is frightened by my friend's sudden transformation, and is even more unsettled when I morph my arms into those of a dragon: at first she shouts something along the lines of “Stop right there!” but, after almost getting hit by a falling tile, decides to run away from the building and oversee the rescue attempt from afar “I don't trust you two... but I have no choice, so do your work and try not to kill anyone.” I tell her she does not need to worry, and that we will save those civilians no matter what; she does not appear to be satisfied by my reassuring words, but that is all she is going to get from me.

“Are you ready?” I ask the shape-shifter as he moves a few feet backwards, ready to make the seemingly impossible jump “Heck yeah! Let's do this!” he then sprints towards me and jumps forward at the last possible second: I grab his feet with both my hands and propel him upwards with all my strength, allowing him to miraculously reach the window he needed to. He climbs inside, not without difficulty, and disappears for a few seconds; shouts can be heard from all the way here, which means that, perhaps, neither the kids nor the woman want to trust a shape-shifter like Lepris with their lives, or maybe that they just are not brave enough to believe in my friend... but I do, and I am confident he can save them by himself.

Lepris then reappears from the other side of the window, holding the two little kids above his shoulders and keeping them safe within his hands “I got them, what now?” he shouts as more of the building comes crashing down to the ground.

“If you are confident enough you can survive the impact, you have to drop down before it is too late!” I reply, unsure we have enough time to save the lady as well.

“Y-Yeah...” he says as he breaths in heavily and jumps from the fourth floor, prompting the two kids (and their mother as well) to scream like bewildered demons; after what appeared to be a dreadfully long amount of time, though it only lasted a few instants, my friend lands on the ground in one piece... spooked to death, but in one piece.

The woman who tried to stop us runs towards Lepris and grabs the children, before commanding us “I'll take care of the kids: you go save their mother! Quick!” she is acting a bit too pretentiously than I would like... but she appears to be used to it, so I decide not to question it for the moment: after all, I am not really following her orders...I am only doing what I believe is right, and Lepris is with me.

We prepare for another jump as more and more of the darn building loudly crashes down to the ground: as the otherkin reaches once again the window the lady is awaiting to be rescued at, a huge crack in the front wall suddenly expands and destroys the window itself, though Lepris somehow manages to enter it before he can fall down along with the rest of the rubble.

“Alright, I'm in... coming down now!” he says as he grabs the woman just like he did with her children and prepares to jump down... unfortunately, the floor under him abruptly breaks, transforming his jump into an outright uncontrollable descent: the surprise causes him to let go of the lady, who screams quite audibly along with her children as she quickly descends to her demise...

No, I will not allow that: my instinct telling me what to do, I position myself right under the woman and grab her mid-air as gently as I can, confident enough Lepris will survive... I do not have enough time to check, though, as the entire building falls in the direction of the street, threatening to kill us all below its massive weight.

“Get out of the way!” I hear the pretentious woman yell as I run away from the crumbling building, still holding the screaming lady in my hands, just before it crashes down on the road. I turn back and look around for my friend, but all I can see is rubble and dust... he could not have possibly died, could he?

I yell his name, and after a few seconds I receive a satisfying answer “Red? Are you okay?” thank goodness, he's alive and well: he has run towards the other side of the road, and there is no way I can reach him from over here... but that is the last of my concerns at the moment. I ask him if he really is alright, and he replies “Yeah, the kids and the other girl here are safe and sound... we did it! We actually saved them all!” I honestly cannot believe we truly did it... and yet, that is not a lie: I can distinctly hear both of the two children crying for their mother, asking her if she's alright, and their mother herself calling their names and telling them she's perfectly fine; saying I am overflowing with joy cannot even begin to describe how I currently feel! This success can only mark the beginning of a... wait, what's this loud, annoying noise? It seems to be coming from those black and white 'cars' coming towards the destroyed building, the ones with the red and blue lights shining right above them.

“Red, that's the police! I don't know if we want to stay any longer...” having a close encounter with the Law is not exactly how I want to end my afternoon... I think I will pass, to be honest “Agreed: let's rendezvous at your home as soon as possible. I will begin heading there now, and I suggest you do the same.”

“Wait!” the crying parent briefly stops me “Before you go... I wanted to thank you for saving my kids' life. Thank you, really.” her gratitude is more than I could ever ask for, and it makes me feel even better about myself; I kindly welcome her thanks and wish her good luck, then sneak in a nearby alley as she pretends not to look and disappear from everyone's sight...

 


	7. The Angel of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "As soon as you get one step away from Death... miracles start happening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is everyone! One of my most favorite chapters in the first part of the novel, and one I am sure all my old readers will greatly enjoy.  
> To be honest, I wanted to make it even longer... but I had already fell behind with my schedule and my constant laziness was not helping me, so I cut it short. But hey, nine+ word pages are more than enough in my book.
> 
> Remember everyone: if you are enjoying my work and would like to support it without spending your precious dosh, please leave a comment with your feedback, your ideas and your theories. I know I said it a hundred times already, but I love hearing from you guys! =3

Honestly, I do not even know where I am any more: sneaking from alleyway to alleyway while attempting to evade the ever-incoming surge of black and white cars became much easier after the first couple of minutes, but I eventually lost my sense of direction and am now left wondering aimlessly in a city I do not know... just like yesterday night. Moreover, I cannot remember what the name of the street Lepris lives at is, so I cannot even ask the people around me for directions... although they do not look like they would be happy to give them out anyway.

When I first arrived in this new district, I thought for one second I had finally reached the one my friend lives at; sadly, that was not the case. The buildings around here are bigger, shinier and even more richly decorated than the ones I saw up until now, both inside and outside: I suspect all these houses and edifices belong to nobles, perhaps even wealthy businessmen... though that would not explain why, overall, they all look quite the same and are only different in such small things as wall colouring and the likes. Human architects are quite boring, I thought, if this is all they can produce; dragon architects, on the other hand, are quite rare and skilled and are renowned in the entire world for their beautiful works of art: they are charged with building the private housings of the aristocracy of all kingdoms, a task which they fulfil quickly and perfectly. Sometimes the results are... arguable, but that depends solely on the horrible tastes of their buyers; thankfully, that kind of... eccentricity is extremely rare within the minds of my courtesans.

As I wondered what to do and where to go next, I found another one of those 'news' buildings right next to a densely populated intersection... and decided to check it out, since I had nothing better to do at the moment. That four-story tall edifice, surprisingly enough, was quite different from the other buildings in the area and piqued my interest from the moment I saw it: its three upper floors were each smaller than the previous one, forming a pyramid-like structure just slightly tilted to the left, probably more for artistic purposes than actual necessity to have it that way; although there is a building very similar to that one in the capital of my kingdom, I was still relieved to see humans do possess some shred of creativity. The walls were all practically made of clean azure glass, which would have allowed everyone outside to view what stood inside if it were not for the myriad of blue curtains that blocked the visual. The words 'InstaNews', along with a few others of trivial importance, were finely painted on all facades of the edifice, forcibly reminding everyone passing by who this place belonged to... for whatever reason.

A reasonably large portion of the front wall was covered by another one of those moving screens: this one was much bigger than the previous one I saw, and so was the crowd standing in front of it. The humans kept murmuring their thoughts to one another, quite preoccupied by the facts the same woman from before was telling them in a very alarmed tone; before I could reach the crowd and listen to whatever she had to say, however, she suddenly began talking about human foreign politics... a topic that is not of particular concern to me, at least for the moment.

As everyone prepared to leave the area, I approached a random man that seemed friendly enough and inquired, hopeful he may refer to me whatever the lady just spoke about “Excuse me sir, but I am afraid I could not listen to whatever that lady had to say: could you please tell me what could possibly be enough important to gather such a big crowd?” at first the human eyed me suspicious, most likely because he was not expecting me to begin talking to him in the first place, but then decided to answer “It was a news report on those explosions from half-an-hour ago-”

“Wait, explosion _s_? As in... more than one?” I stopped him as panic and guilt consumed me whole “That... that cannot be true... were there any casualties?” I asked, holding on to what little hope I still had.

“Some people survived, but... most were sent to the hospital in critical condition, and others straight-out died. Why, did you lose anyone important?” I wanted to answer 'my confidence'... but, instead, I said nothing. Maybe Lepris is right, and it was fate that prevented me from saving those lives... but that only makes me feel worse for not having been able to help them. In the end, I failed.

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After a long time spent exploring the city, I finally learned a bit more about the world around me and about my new friend Lepris, who turned out to be a much more troubled individual than I originally thought; unfortunately, we got separated after saving some humans in distress... now I am alone, and it seems I will have to stay this way for some time at least...**

 

I learned a lot more about the recent happenings from the man afterwards: he explained to me the explosions were caused by 'bombs' that detonated from within the buildings... and that a mysterious organization called 'Anteros' was responsible for all of them. The leader of this so-called organization, whose name is unknown to all, released a message right after the attacks hit, explaining what they hope to accomplish with these acts of cowardice: to instil fear within the hearts of the population, to remind them that they exist... and that there is no way to stop them. They claim they will return the entire world to the way it once was: under their direct, total control; needless to say, these people are delusional megalomaniacs who, I learned, never had any control whatsoever on the world prior to the creation of their organization. He called these people 'terrorists', but back in Draconia we know them as 'bandits': hopeless, goalless idiots who believe to be above law, above honour, above all else... I personally slew many of these criminals, and I silently vowed to do the same with these cowardly anarchists. Soon, I will make them pay for the lives they took, for the pain they have caused, for every single sin they committed.

For now, however, I cannot do any of that: the only thing I can do is wander around the city like the foreigner I am, desperately searching for my comrade.. although. ten minutes or so have already passed since I spoke to that man, and I still feel like I am just as far away from my goal as I was when I began my quest. If fate truly does guide me, now would be a good time to point me the way...

Actually, maybe I should not have asked for it: the enchanted black ring on my right index finger shines of an unsettling black as all the humans I can see quickly fade from existence and the light around me melds into a garbled, shining mass... that can only mean one thing, and I am definitely not ready to deal with the chaos that is about to ensue.

 

[ **1-02 – Alternative Battle – “** Clutterfunk Part 2” by Waterflame (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFrimAIrU8I>)]

 

Creatures of darkness spawn from the obscure corners of the alleyways around me, from under the unmoving cars parked at the edge of the street, from everywhere the light of the Sun cannot reach... their number appears to exceed one-hundred, and that only counts the 'F.E.A.R.'s in front of me: far more are coming from the flanks and from behind, dead-set on stealing my life essence... I cannot possibly hope to defeat all of them at once, alone at least! And yet, retreat is not a plausible option: a true warrior never backs down from a fight, as he keeps fighting for what he believes in or dies trying... that said, though, my code of honour does not prevent me from moving to a better fighting position, which is exactly what I am going to do right now.

I propel myself upwards and attempt flying away from the now crowded street, but am immediately attacked by a swarm of sharply-clawed avians soon afterwards: I do my best to kill as many of them as I can in mid-air with my sword, meanwhile looking for a better arena to fight these monsters in... I have to choose carefully where to engage, as most likely I only have one chance to find a suitable arena before I am stuck in one I cannot win in. The best location I can see at the moment is a rather large four-way intersection that is for the most part empty apart from a few coloured cars and an outstandingly large vehicle with a ramp hanging behind it, which I guess could prove useful... somehow: I drop down elegantly and turn on the incoming monsters, who are stupid enough to attack me directly even though I have all the time in the world to blast them all away with one of my spells. “ **Volcanic Barrage!** ” I shout as my flaming body shoots out a great number of fireballs that disintegrate most, although not all, of the flying 'F.E.A.R.'s; those pests have not become any smarter since our last encounter, it seems, although the ones that did survive are currently falling back and regrouping, presumably preparing themselves for another assault later on... at least they are not completely dumb: that would ruin the thrill of the challenge.

I realize the main ground battalion is approaching my position quickly, so I take a look to assess its composition: as far as I can see, just like the creatures that attacked me yesterday evening, these monsters as well resemble small goblins, their only weapons being their sharp fangs and edged claws... now that I decimated the flying menace, I reason, I can strike them from above and get rid of them before they even have a chance to touch me; an excellent plan, which I am ready to execute right away. I jump high up in the air just like I did before and prepare to rain death on these puny weaklings... only to realize I fell right into their trap: in-between the uncoordinated ranks of the savage beasts lie a fair number of smaller, more ingenious-looking imps with very short, almost non-existent wings; they all hold within their small hands an impressively long empty barrel pointed right at me, and that cannot be good at all...

It does not take long for me to understand I am in grave danger, and attempt to fly away before they can use those seemingly innocuous devices against me... unfortunately for me, I am too late: I hear a loud banging noise as dozens of spiked spheres made out of a black burning material are shot out of the barrels at great speed before bursting in somewhat small venomous fumes that simultaneously block my visual and consume my lungs from inside... I begin to suffocate helplessly and immediately lose the strength in my wings, which in turn transforms my brave flight into a desperate fall; the 'F.E.A.R.'s are surely accumulating below me, I presume, and will no doubt tear me to pieces as soon as I hit the ground... assuming I survive the impact. However, if I give up now, if I give in to weakness now, everything is lost: I cannot give up, I have to stay determined... I have to win this battle, no matter what!

“ **Heat Wave!** ” I manage to shout while coughing just before reaching the ground, as my body releases a powerful blast of blazing fire that incinerates some of the enemies below me and nearby: my descent cannot be stopped and eventually I crash onto the cold hard stone that paves the streets, the pain coursing through my entire body indicating I am somehow still alive; the fire I spread around me will keep the monsters away from me for a couple of seconds at least, which I desperately needed at least to clean my lungs that got completely infested by that horrible gas... but the fire dies out a moment afterwards, before I have a chance to recover entirely. I immediately find the horde of malevolent creatures ready to attack me from both the front and the sides, although they are hesitating to do so for some reason... perhaps they want to take a good look at me before they reap my life, but I cannot be sure. Unless I run away, something that I cannot do without breaking my honour code, I am doomed... and I have no intention of living knowing I broke my own law, so I rule that option out; I can still put up a semi-decent fight but, unless a miracle happens in this precise moment, my odds of surviving are overall null...

 

Wait, what is this noise I hear? It sounds just like the sound a car makes while moving, but is at least twice or thrice more powerful... and it is becoming more and more loud by the second! I turn around, to face the source of this noise, only to see a... vehicle coming this way, clearly interested in this conflict: it is definitely skinnier, although slightly longer, than a normal car... and, from what I can see, it also runs on two wheels instead of four, despite being far faster than anything else I have seen so far. The vehicle is as black as the night, just as the figure that is riding it... but I cannot quite describe them from this angle apart from the long black robe they are wearing that hovers in the air behind them, suspended by the wind and the intense velocity the figure's running at.

The figure and its mount suddenly turn to face the long ramp behind the immobile white transport parked a good twenty feet away from me and use it to fly in the air above me, seemingly without reason... until the figure unbelievably jumps out of its vehicle and kicks it towards the enemies that stand before me, missing me by mere luck and mowing the vast majority of them down under its weight while sliding before finally exploding right in the middle of the monsters' forces after emitting sparkles for a few seconds. The figure then elegantly touches the ground a few feet ahead of me and silently observes their work, admiring the devastation they have caused... at least I think they are, since I cannot quite see their face from here.

“I hope I didn't ruin this little party of yours...” this voice I hear is that of a male, but it is so grave and dark I am surprised he is even alive to use it “...You looked like you could've used some help, so I figured I'd pass by.” the man turns around so I can see his visage: the appearance is definitely that of a human, but... I can sense something obscure, something evil, emanating from within him.. a presence of sorts that I cannot quite identify. The man's physique almost perfectly matches my own and he himself appears to be somewhat older than Lepris, although not too much; his face is as white and pure as light itself, perhaps even too white to be human, and the short spiked black hair above it veers sharply towards the left side of his face, almost covering his left eye which is already shielded by a pair of... oh, I cannot remember what's the term Lepris used... ah, yes, 'sunglasses'! Yes, I cannot see his eyes because they are covered by this big round ornament that supposedly shields from excessive sunlight... though his expression is quite clear and shows, at least from my point of view, either utmost seriousness or immense hatred. He wears a long black leather robe that covers his body entirely and that he prefers to keep open, allowing me to see he is also wearing an anonymous grey shirt and a pair of long black trousers beneath it; he is also wearing a golden necklace with a black ebony cross attached to it and black leather gloves. Overall, this man looks rather intimidating... it is also very important to notice he has also entered the 'Astra-grid' alongside me, although whether he was attacked by 'F.E.A.R.'s as well or somehow got inside of his own volition remains unknown.

“I do not know who you are, or what you want from me...” I make a few steps towards him, but he does not react to it whatsoever “...But you saved my life, and I am immensely grateful for that. I hope I can reciprocate the favour, one day.”

 

[ **10-01 – Eliminating all Threats –** 'Enemy Approaching Yellow' from Undertale Yellow by MyNewSoundtrack, originally 'Enemy Approaching' from Undertale by Toby Fox (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpM8CGyy4TI)]

 

“Don't thank me: I didn't save you.” he replies, almost imperceptibly offended by my gratitude; a few of the goblin-like creatures ambush us by lunging at us from the roof of a car nearby, but the human is faster then them and immediately moves between me and my assailants: he then proceeds to summon an enormous black scythe from thin air and uses it to get rid of all the incoming enemies with a single slash.

If what I saw is correct, the weapon he just... created appears, at least at first sight to be made out of black-painted bone or a similar material... but that is not true, as it is actually made out of a strange black substance the man can manipulate that looks quite similar to the one that makes up the bodies of the 'F.E.A.R.'s, except it is aeriform unlike the monsters 'blood' of sorts that has a gooey composition; the scythe's blade is quite jagged and unbalanced and, just like the rest of the weapon, it is unclear whether it has been purposefully created this way or if time eroded its... no, wait, what am I saying? This man just created a weapon out of nowhere: nothing regarding that weapon makes sense! If this is magic, it is a kind I never witnessed or even heard of before in my entire life...

“I'll take care of them: you focus on recovering, and fast.” he advises as he reaps (literally) an inbound wave of monsters that was threatening us with their presence; upon noticing two fleeing members of said group, probably running away to unite with another small pod of enemies, he cuts the air in two, causing the scythe's blade to... detach from its base and fly towards the nearest of the two fiends, chained to the main body by a seemingly endless 'iron' chain before piercing the chest of the creature and subsequently retracting backwards: as this happens, the human rotates once, along with the incoming blade, before shooting the monster towards its own kin by halting the blade in mid-air and allowing the centrifugal force to do the rest... needless to say, both the 'F.E.A.R.'s instantaneously shatter into semi-liquid pieces as soon as the impact takes place, demonstrating how powerful the man I am witnessing truly is.

Noticing the rest of our enemies are too far away for him to attack properly with his current weapon, the man uses his powers to turn his scythe into black mist before shifting it again into two... smaller weapons of some sort: I find describing them rather difficult, as they are unlike anything I have ever seen before... but they appear to be weapons since the man is pointing them both at his opponents in a menacing way, holding them from a rather small hilt located in the weapons' lower sections; by using his index fingers to move a minuscule switch also located below the weapons' main bodies, he causes a flurry of incredibly tiny projectiles, which are far too small and far too many to be a variant of arrows, to come out of the weapons' short barrels at incredible speed and fly towards the far away enemies, riddling their bodies with holes and annihilating them all before they can even become a threat.

As I observe how quickly and efficiently the human dispatches the incoming monsters, I notice a few of those barrel-wielding imps positioning behind some cars on the other side of the road and setting up to launch more of those poisonous explosives: before the man can even notice them, I once again use my 'Volcanic Barrage' spell to destroy them all before they can do anything; unfortunately, they manage to shoot us before my fireballs can obliterate them, but thankfully enough all their venomous spheres are blown up by my own flaming projectiles, resulting in a huge cloud of smoke spreading all over that area.

“You missed one.” the human comments as he points at one lone imp preparing to shoot from atop another distant car; without warning, he vanishes from my sight, leaving behind only a mantle of black mist... and reappears one instant later mere inches away from the monster, his edged scythe already in hand: I can feel the creature's pain myself as I witness the 'F.E.A.R.'s head being cut off roughly by the man's weapon, evaporating into dark goo soon afterwards.

“Alright, why are you helping me?” the human asks almost angrily as he reappears right in front of me, emanating more samples of that obscure mist in the process “Instead of blasting off those weaklings, you could've attacked _me_ instead: do you really think they're your biggest problem right now?”

“Are you perhaps implying you have come here to slay me as well?” I shout as I point my sword at him “I helped you because I hate being cut off from a battle that was mine to begin with, but I am ready to take you on as well if that is what you wish... however, I am not a rogue or an assassin: I am a warrior, so do not shame me by suggesting me to strike you while you are not looking!” although his expression has not changed in the least, I can clearly see he is pondering on the words I just used... instead of replying, he turns around and points at the swarm of winged 'F.E.A.R.'s, who managed both to reorganize and to expand their numbers “Alright, we'll settle this later: in the meantime, feel free to give me a hand if that's what you want, but I don't really care...”

 

And so, after a few more minutes of intense fighting, the enemy horde is finally reduced to nothingness: admitting it kind of embarrasses me, but the human eliminated most of the creatures by himself, thanks to both his outstanding arsenal of weapons and his inhuman capability to be everywhere on the battlefield in any moment. Truly, this man is a force to reckon... and that may not be a good thing for me after all...

“Thank you.” I thank him, and add before he can inquire me the meaning to my gratitude “You showed me a completely new way of battling, an entirely different technique than the one I am habituated to... and I no doubt have learned many things from this encounter: so, before we can talk about anything else, please let me thank you for fighting alongside me.” for the first time ever since I met him, the man makes something somewhat resemblant of a smile and chuckles, before responding “Yeah, I suppose you weren't half-bad yourself... you're much better than most people I've seen recently, and that's no small feat. I hope you've yet to show me your true potential... or else I'd be really disappointed.” how eerie and mysterious... maybe it would be best to change the subject before he says or does anything that might lead to another battle.

“You have not told me your name yet.” I point out, and the man immediately responds “You tell me yours, and maybe I'll tell you my own.” quite pretentious of him... but I cannot see how the order our names are spoken would matter, so I agree to his proposition “My name is Red Blaze; may I ask for yours now?”

My answer appears to have unsettled him quite a lot, as he is now frowning slightly “Really now? But you don't seem like... oh, well...” he then turns around and teleports a fair distance, before announcing “Look man, I'm really sorry for what I'm about to say... at least, I think I am, given that I just saved your life and all, but...” he turns towards me and takes off his sunglasses: his eyes are as sharp as my blade itself, as menacing as a demon's and as red as the blood that courses through my veins... these are the eyes of a cold, relentless killer; the gems inserted in my sword's blade shine their pure lights as the human utters, slowly and coldly “...I was told to kill you, and that's exactly what I'm about to do: try not to take it too personal, alright?”

 

[ ** **10-03 – Bullet Hell**** \- "Dynami" by Coffe K, originally "Heartache; Megalovania" from Undertale by Toby Fox (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q9pcUkU4_s>)]

 

Before I can even say or do anything, the man teleports once again before me, scythe already in hand, and attempts to tear me to pieces in a single hit: I only have to thank the readiness of my reflexes for blocking that point-blank hit, else I would have perished for sure. Multiple attacks similar to that one follow soon after, with him teleporting everywhere around me and even in the air above me, seeking to end the battle as quickly as possible... unluckily for him, though, I am more than enough trained to deal with his quick blows thanks to countless training sessions spent parrying the attacks of several enemies at once; it may be true that this is the first time I put that empiric lesson into practice, but it appears as though I am holding my own just fine.

“Are you really going to fight me without telling me your name first?” I ask the man in a rare moment in which he hesitated to teleport after our blades clashed “It might sound trivial, but knowing the name of your adversary is considered a must back where I am from...” he suddenly tilts the clash in his favour and his scythe comes mere inches away from my face “I'll tell you what: if you can survive this battle, I'll tell you my name... but only if you can survive.” by using all the strength I have in my arms, I regain the upper hand and reply “Very well, if this is the game you wish to play... then prepare yourself to lose it!” before I can finally hit him he disappears once again and reappears a dozen feet away from me, yet again holding those two strange weapons in his hands “Let's see if you can defend yourself from this!” he then unleashes an endless stream of projectiles, which would surely end my life right away were they to hit me... for once, attacking might not be the best defence. “ **Fire Wall!** ” I shout as a circular barrier made out of pure flame envelops my near surroundings, incinerating the incoming pellets before they can hit me... and, possibly, stopping my attacker from using those weapons altogether.

“Really? Is this your tactic?” I hear the human's voice coming from right above me, and immediately turn my head upwards to face him, scared I might have made a mistake: I spot him hovering a dozen feet above me, holding with both of his hands a strange barrel-like device similar to the ones those imps were carrying, but bigger and rectangular in shape... I did not just commit an error, I fell right into his trap! “Surprise!” he grimly shouts as a rhomboidal object is fired out of the barrel, obviously aimed for me; unless I breathe fire on that incoming projectile, which could potentially be explosive for all I know and therefore could prove not to be a wise course of action, there is nothing I can do apart from running away, which is what my instinct advises me to do. By running through the fire I myself created, which does not hurt me since my own magic protects me from itself, I somehow manage to avoid the object's impact, which results in a rather large explosion that my barrier luckily contains before expiring and returning to ashes.

“Not bad... not bad at all...” the man chuckles from the other side of the road, still holding that heavy weapon over his left shoulder “You can dodge one missile... but can you dodge a dozen?” his weapon then fires a vast amount of 'missiles', one after another at almost supersonic speed... I cannot exactly be sure, but that looks more than just 'a dozen'; still, I cannot allow him to beat me with sheer numbers alone: if he wants to fight me with quantity, then I shall reply with quantity as well! “ **Volcanic Barrage!** ” I shout as my body catches on fire and multiple fireballs spawn from it, directed towards the incoming explosives: either by skill or by miracle, all of the missiles are intercepted by my fireballs and explode in a colossal cloud of smoke, which would have reduced this intersection to dust were we not in the 'Astra-grid'...

“Well then, I suppose you're somewhat decent after all...” the man chuckles as he reappears a few feet away from me, strangely weaponless “You could be better, but nobody's perfect after all...” he then adds, seemingly entertained by my rising anger; “If that is meant to be an insult, then I recommend you to stop this instant: I am not a toy to be played with, human!” I yell as I attempt to pierce the man, in vain: he disappears in a thick black mist before materializing behind me, his eyes even redder than before “Oh, so you're done playing around? That's alright, I was getting kind of tired too... well then: whether you survive or not this next attack, the battle's over.”

“ **Void Rift!** ” he shouts as darkness envelops my eyes, preventing me from seeing anything; I initially believed he somehow blinded me with another strange weapon of his... but that does not appear to be the case: I am literally trapped in a dome of obscurity, all senses perfectly awake apart from sight. To be honest, I am quite scared: if the man decides to attack me now, I am done for no matter what... I managed to defend myself before, but I doubt I will be able to now that I cannot see one inch away from my nose. And yet, there's still hope: the sacred gemstones shine yet again, allowing me to faintly see in this eternal darkness... which lets me miraculously block an incoming slash from up front. “Impressive...” the human remarks as he materializes behind me, but is blocked yet again by my unbreakable sword: not only can I see much better with the help of the gems, but I can also... feel the man's presence around me, permitting me to locate him whenever he moves around with his teleport ability. Right, left, above, left, front, right, behind... for a while, the only sound I can hear is that of our blades clashing and the faint sound of his body turning to black mist and reforming soon afterwards: after a whole minute spent dancing like dramatic artists, the blackness around me fades into nothingness as I regain full use of my eyes... I want to believe I finally won this tiresome duel, but maybe that is not the case; the human does finally cease attacking... and instead applauds me from a short distance, almost mockingly “Well done, well done... I didn't expect you to survive _this_ long. You truly are an entertaining one... frankly, it's been a long time since I fought someone so stubborn...” stubborn, he says? I do not like the sound of that.

“You said after that attack, the battle would have ended no matter what, am I correct?” I inquire, at my limit “Does that mean I won?”

“Not quite...” he says as his eyes flash red, meaning the danger has yet to subside “Yes, I told you the battle would've ended... and you're correct: it's about time I ended this charade, once and for all!” he then summons his scythe and throws the chained blade towards me, catching me by surprise: instead of using this opportunity to kill me, however, he juggles his weapon to envelop my sword's own blade and then, with a swift movement of his arm, snags it away from my hands and throws it backwards; Justice lands on the ground ungracefully, but thankfully unscathed... however, that sword is the last of my problems at the moment.

“Can't you see? I had you right from the beginning.” the blood in my vein freezes simply by hearing his grim chuckle “Don't get me wrong, you fought admirably... but I'm a whole lot of levels ahead of you, and you should've realized it sooner.” before I can retaliate in any way, the man teleports right in front of me and slashes me with his weapon vertically, sending me flying backwards as pain fills my entire body...

 

Surprisingly enough, I am still alive: I am not bleeding, there are no cuts in my skin, my bones and internal organs are perfectly fine... it feels exactly as though I got hit by a 'F.E.A.R.', except I am not proving simulated fear, but simulated pain... and yet, this pain I am feeling hurts too much to be fake. I try to get up, to keep on fighting for my life, but my body refuses: I could most likely stand up if I wanted to, but I doubt I would be able to actually stay up for more than a few seconds...

“Honestly, I kind of feel bad for you.” I see the man approach me, holding my sword in his gloved right hand as if it were a mere stick... which sparks the question: how powerful is he again? There's no way anyone could lift that sword without the aid of both of their hands... and, even then, the weight of the weapon would certainly prohibit them from carrying it around so casually!

“If you had surrendered from the beginning, maybe I wouldn't have gone so rough on you... I get carried away far too easily for my own good.” he sighs, sparkling more rage within me.

“Never...” I painfully utter “I will... never surrender... never...” I somehow manage to get up on my knees, still too weak to actually stand up “I will... keep on fighting... if that's the last thing I do...”

“Oh, really? Maybe I underestimated you after all...” he mumbles as he looks at my sword and exclaims “This is a nice sword you got here... would be a shame if I were to _take it_!” more of that dark substance begins pouring out of the man's glove as it covers the hilt of my sword, slowly making its way from top to bottom, threatening to envelop it all in its cold embrace... I cannot understand what the man is doing, but I will not allow him to do it anyway... at least, I would not allow him were I in condition to take him on: it's quite painful to admit, even more painful than the pain that is coursing through my body like a poison, but... I am weak, too weak to stop him.

And yet, just before the man can assimilate the first of the gemstones into that disgusting goo, another miracle occurs: the gems light up once again, producing a powerful light that blinds us both... and afterwards, following no coherent logic whatsoever, the man's right arm explodes in dark goo as the sword drops to the ground, clean of that horrible substance; I do not know what just happened, but I do know that if there's one good moment to strike, it's this one. I get up and run towards the sword, grab it with all the strength I have left in my body and pierce my opponent's chest, seemingly ending his life “Game over... I won...”

“Yeah, I suppose you did.” he chuckles, oblivious to the pain I just inflicted him: only now I realize this man has not reacted to the loss of his arm in any way whatsoever, and his current expression does not indicate any sort of pain either... in fact, he could not care less about the sword currently stuck between his ribs!

He then dissolves in black mist and reappears a moment later a few feet ahead of me, as if nothing ever happened at all: moreover, both his right arm and the clothing that got damaged in the explosion are as good as new... not only can he teleport around at will, he can also regenerate his body!? What kind of monster am I facing!?

“Well, I guess you won.” he says as he once again applauds, this time seriously, and puts his sunglasses back on: all traces of irony and sadism have faded from his face... and yet, it feels too good to be true.

“Is that it? Are you seriously going to surrender now? For no reason at all?” I inquire, to which he immediately answers “I'm not surrendering: if I didn't have my... powers, that would've been the end right there. You won, fair and square... perhaps underestimating you and your weapon was a mistake after all...” well, that actually makes some sense... however, it is clear that if this man truly wanted to kill me, he would have done so a thousand times over already.

“Anyway, my name's Dante.” he offers me his hand to shake “Nice to meet you, Red.” I grab his hand and attempt to shake it, while replying “It is a pleasure to meet you too, Dante... if I may ask, what is it that you hoped to accomplish by battling me?”

“At first, to kill you: what else?” I gulp, and silently hope that he did not notice me; he then adds immediately afterwards “That's what that pest ordered me to do after all... but you clearly aren't one of the bad guys, so I stopped taking it seriously right from the beginning. I can see it in your eyes... and in your soul as well: you may resort to violence a whole lot, but you only do so to help those you hold dearest... and your virtues and dedication are too admirable to be ignored. You truly are one of a kind... of that, at least I'm sure.” he then moves away and shouts aloud, probably not referring to me “Speaking of despicable pests: I need to speak with you right now, you darn cat!” is he perhaps referring to-

“Oh, come on! You can't handle a troll, mister 'sunglasses-all-the-time'?” the almost human cat Karma appears out of nowhere next to the man, an ironic grin already printed on their face “Don't tell me you got mad! It's just a prank, bro! A social experiment!”

“You call 'ordering me to kill an innocent man' a social experiment?” Dante inquires inquisitive in return, slightly unsettling the bi-coloured cat “Hey, cheer up! Nobody died, right? I knew you would've figured it out before you did any serious damage... besides, both of you wanted a real challenge, right? This way, I satisfied both your desires at once!” well, they are technically correct: it has been a long while since I fought someone as skilled as Dante, and I was growing tired of fighting the same enemies over and over again... I needed this slap in the face, I truly did. I believe this loss taught me quite a lot of things, actually.

“Alright, fair enough.” the man then faces the other direction and pretends to leave the cat alone... but then turns around and executes a perfect uppercut, an uppercut so powerful in fact it sends the man's 'friend' of sorts flying into the sky, until they are reduced to a small dot in the firmament; while this happens, I hear the cat yell “Karma, blasting off at the speed of light...!” or something like that, but I pay it no mind since it makes no sense at all.

“So, you made a contract with that little devil?” as I answer positively, I wonder whether I should inquire whether he was serious when he referred to Karma as a devil, but in the end I decide not to “Heh, I don't want to imagine what reason you would have to trust that monster... or what in the world he promised you in exchange for 'entertainment'...” I attempt to explain it to him, but he immediately cuts me off “Look, you can spare me the details for another time: right now, there's something more important I need to tell you.” I widen my ears as I welcome his advice “I am listening to you.”

“If you've got doubts they aren't going to keep their promise, then trust me: they will. They'll make sure everything goes according to plan, that you get your wish precisely as you envisioned it... if you get lucky, it might be even better too.” I would like to be relieved by his words, but his expression clearly foretells that this is not everything he has to tell me “However, know that, to get to where you want to arrive, you'll need to suffer... and a whole lot. Not just you, but everyone around you as well: everyone you involve in your quest will suffer, and it will only be your fault...” he then turns around and adds, before disappearing in yet another black smoke “Nevertheless, not all evil comes to hurt... especially if it makes you grow up as an individual. We'll see each other soon, Red.”

As soon as Dante leaves the 'Astra-grid', the place itself falls apart rather quickly: I barely have the time to get out of the main road before I am squashed by an incoming car, which does not forget to remind me of my luck with its signature loud noise. As I recover my breath and test my arms and legs to see if they are still hurt, I think about everything that's happened to me in the past hour: to be honest, there's a lot I still do not know about both Karma and his other 'associate' Dante, but, assuming what the latter said is true, then putting my faith in the cat was not a bad idea after all... except for Lepris, and for everyone else that might be involved with me as a result of my actions. Now that I think about it, Lepris's whole mental breakdown of an hour ago might have been the result of this contract I made after all! There's no denying the possibility everything bad that might happen to my friend could be a direct consequence of my actions... is that a price I can afford to pay, I wonder?

I silently wander away as I think and rethink about that, all my other problems looking like trivial issues in comparison...

 


	8. Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They say fear and anxiety are the most insidious killers..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this next chapter: it is quite... diffferent from the usual ones due to plot reasons, but I tried to write it the best I could either way.  
> Do not worry: starting from next week, we will be back to our usual programming. =3

“Red? Red, where are you?” I cry, yet nobody answers me. Why am I still trying? I've lost track of him over an hour ago: why do I still think he might just be around the corner? Am I really _that_ lonely?

Ever since we got separated, I began searching for my friend Red all over the city, hoping he would've waited in a place not too far away from that burning building... and it was no easy task, what with that lady chasing me down everywhere I went: she must've thought I was a criminal, or a terrorist... and I can't be mad with her, considering I literally ran away as soon as the police arrived on the scene. Maybe that wasn't a good idea, but that's the only thing I could think of in that moment... and, looking back, I think I made the right choice: better run and be remembered as a criminal than get captured by the government and get experimented on to find a way to replicate our superpowers... okay, maybe I'm being a bit melodramatic, but you get the point.

I eventually managed to lose the yelling lady in a side alley, but by the time that happened I had completely lost track of where the dragon could've went... in the end, I simply kept going in a direction and hoped he had gone there as well... and failed miserably. How could I even think that was a good idea? Man, if only Red were here: he would've solved this issue by now... then again, if he were here, there wouldn't even be a problem to begin with...

Still, I'm at a loss... this city is pretty darn big, and the chances of finding him at random are practically null; heck, that dummy doesn't even have a cellphone: how am I supposed to find him without one? It's like he was begging to get lost...

And then, it hits me: I might not find him... but maybe someone else can! Red did mention this 'Karma' guy's following his every move, and they might be following my own as well for that matter: if that's true, then they already know about our problem... and may be working to solve it right now! I don't have to find Red: he just has to find me! And what better place to wait him than... uh... oh, oh, that botanic garden over there!

Yeah, that's right: the “Urban Florae”, 'the biggest botanic garden in the city'... also known as 'the only botanic garden in the city' and 'the least visited botanic garden in the city; a large rainforest in captivity in the south-west periphery, covered by an equally large glass dome that protects it from the Sun rays, yadda yadda yadda... you get the drill. Frankly, I never bothered learning all the scientific details and stuff: nature to me is something that needs to be admired and respected, not understood... I mean, maybe there are some things that we should understand, but... where's the fun if you already know everything about something? Anyway, if it weren't for those protests of a few months ago, this place would've been demolished for sure, and a 'beautiful' parking lot (that's what the mayor called it anyway) would be standing in its place... too bad that those people who protested against the parking lot never bothered actually donating to the foundation that sustains the botanic garden, let alone visit it in the first place... what a bunch of hypocrites.

Anyway, it might've been a long time since I visited the Urban Florae, but... that's all the more reason to go! Besides, me and Red met in a park yesterday night: maybe he'll catch the hint as soon as he sees this place and come right in to look for me! Yeah, this is a wonderful idea... it'll definitely work out!

As I cross the beautiful white wooden gate at the entrance and am greeted by a myriad of luxuriant exotic plants and tall, uncontrolled trees, I feel... good, really good. If I have to be more precise, well... I feel like this is one of the main reasons why I was born: to witness, to touch, to feel... I love nature. It gives my life a meaning...

 

**Hiya! My name's... Lepris. Yeah, Lepris... and I'm an otherkin, meaning I can transform into an anthropomorphic rabbit any time I want. So, to sum it all up, yesterday night I met a guy named Red (who turned out to be a freaking DRAGON) and, afterwards, a bunch of monsters showed up and threatened to kill us both... kinda rude, but whatever. Then we became great friends, and I decided to show him around town while he prepares to 'take back his kingdom' or whatever... until he decided to play the hero, which resulted in us getting separated... go figure...**

 

I never understood why they built cement paths to connect the various places of interest in this urban jungle instead of... I dunno, not doing anything, really: if the whole point of this place is to run around and discover nature, why restrict your movement by forcing you to only walk a specific path? It seems really counter-productive... besides, if someone wanted to break the rules, they could simply jump over that small metallic fence, like I've seen done plenty of times the first time I visited, and do whatever they pleased; I guess I could do that myself if I really wanted to... bah, what am I even thinking?

Anyway, I'm really having fun in this place: everything feels so natural and exotic, like hearing the chirps and squeaks of birds and squirrels, observing from up close colourful and bright flowers that somehow manage to grow alone in this weird place... sniffing the very distinguishable stink of a 'little gift' a dog left just a minute earlier... yep, sure feels like nature. I could do without the last thing, but apart from that... this park's really cool! You know, if only my laptop's battery lasted more than an hour, I could even work with my pc from here: I heard they've got Wi-Fi connection in this place... oh, wait... nope, my phone says otherwise. Guess it was too good to be true.

I reach the park's innermost location: a really big three-way intersection in the middle of the forest, full of white wooden benches and out-of-place vending machines and surrounded by trees, more trees and even more trees... oh, I also noticed that the paths that take here are so oddly curved it would take a few seconds at least before anyone coming could view this entire place without having their sight blocked by something. Maybe this isn't the best place to wait Red at... but I have to admit: this is one of the most quiet and peaceful places in the whole park. You can't hear anything, apart from the sounds of little animals and the like... it's quite beautiful.

I realize just now that I'm not alone, and that there's someone here with me: a man is sitting alone on one of the benches, silently feeding breadcrumbs or something similar to a small yellow and green bird that sits on his right shoulder. Judging from his clothes (a green shirt, slightly darker green jeans, brown shoes and a light green baseball hat) I can safely assume he's a gardener... I think... yeah, he even has a name-tag on his shirt: he definitely works here. He's got long black hair enveloped in a ponytail and bright blue eyes, and... uh... isn't he a bit young to work here? No, wait, what am I saying? He's definitely old enough to work: he's at least seventeen or eighteen years old from what I can tell, although he _does_ look and behave kinda like a child... he's quite cute actually... no, stop that thought right there Lepris! You can't just fall for every cute guy you see, especially if he's a minor... at least, I think he's a minor... wait, why am I even considering that!? Am I insane? Man, I'm such a mess...

I must look like some kind of weirdo right now since the man has stopped feeding his bird and is now looking at me, judging me silently from the other side of this circular plaza... why isn't he saying anything? Am I so creepy he thinks I'm not worth talking to? Wait, maybe I misjudged him: he's now nonchalantly waving his left hand, his eyes closed and his lips forming a kind smile... okay, maybe the situation isn't as awkward as I originally thought. That helps.

He quietly invites me to sit next to him, and, uh... I accept. I mean, why not? I don't know how long will it take Red to find me, so every opportunity I get to waste some time while waiting for him has to suffice. Besides, he looks interesting enough: he might be a bit mysterious, but so was Red when I first met him... except that Red actually talked. A lot, in fact... I miss him...

“Hi!” I energetically greet the man before sitting where he pointed me to, but he doesn't say anything in return: he just... keeps waving at me like he did before, not producing the faintest sound from his mouth; I briefly wonder if he's actually a robot in disguise, before remembering robots don't breathe... or display emotions, for that matter. So, either this guy's really, really shy... or he simply can't speak. Looks like the latter to me... poor thing.

I feel kinda embarrassed, since I've never spoke to a mute person before... so, without any better argument to start off with, I look at the name written on his name tag: “Dexter”. Neat.

“So, your name's Dexter?” I ask, and he immediately answers by nodding gently “That's a cool name! I bet there's a lot of meaning behind it too!” his cheeks redden as his smile widens, meaning that he received my compliment quite well. He then reaches into his pocket for... what looks like a small notebook and a pen, and hastily writes something on the paper: after less than one second, he shows me what he wrote, which reads “Thanks! :)”; that 'smiley face' is a nice touch, I think. I like this guy already.

“Anyway, my name's Lepris: nice to meet you!” I introduce myself, and he answers by writing “Nice to meet you Lepris! You got a nice name as well! :)” aww, he's too sweet... I thank him for his kindness and try to find another good topic of conversation, hoping I can be fast enough before he starts questioning my embarrassment.

“So... do you work here?” I inquire, and his face lightens up with excitement; the next words he writes are small and hard to read, most likely due to his sudden happiness, but my handwriting's much worse so it doesn't take me long to decipher them “Yes, I do! I'm a gardener, but I spend most of my time caring for the animals that live here: I know I'm not supposed to pet them, but they're so fluffy! XD” and here I thought I'd never meet anyone who uses the 'XD' emoticon in real life... seriously, how come me and him aren't best friends yet?

“Yeah, I know... nature really is amazing. I mean, don't get me wrong, the Internet's fun and all, but... every once in a while, I just _have_ to go out and... you know, chill out at a park, or a forest outside the city: everything's fine as long as it's not... here. Get it?” even though I explained the concept horribly, Dexter eagerly absorbs every word I muttered in his wide open ears and approves what I said by nodding energetically: never before have I met someone who loves listening to everything I have to say so much... I mean, Red does a pretty good job of listening as well, but Dexter's the only person I know that appears to live practically only to listen. Wow... just wow...

As for the next topic of 'conversation', uh... that bird on his shoulder looks interesting enough: it hasn't moved from there ever since I sat down, and it's inspecting me with the same intensity Dexter here had a moment ago... heck, maybe it's even more inquisitive than him. I ask him what's up with that bird, and the only thing he replies with is “Angie”, which leaves me quite confused; he soon adds in small letter before the name “Her name is”, making me realize what he actually meant... alright, that clears things up. I guess that... attitude of hers can now be explained, then: from my experience, girls always need a whole lot of time before finally reaching a consensus on something... I bet birds aren't that different from humans in that regard.

“Oh, that's a nice name too... is she, like, a friend of yours?” I ask, and he immediately replies with “Family”, a mixed expression on his face... is he serious? Is that bird really a part of his family... or is she _all_ of his family? Heh, still a better family than my own... just thinking about my parents makes me... angry... and sad...

-You're a monster... a disgrace!- those darn words echo inside me, making me cry helplessly just like they did a hundred times again... I don't want to cry, but... I can't stop... stupid, stupid, stupid...

“Don't cry... :(“ I see him write through the water that is soaking my eyes “When someone starts crying, I become sad too... T-T” he does look like he's about to lose it as well, and apparently I'm responsible for that... oh, man, I'm so pathetic right now! Not only did I manage to cry in front of a stranger, I made that very stranger cry too! I'm a horrible human being... but getting that nasty thought out of my head is kinda difficult when I'm not...

Wait, now that I think about it... I _could_ try that _._.. I mean, there's basically nobody around, apart from him...

“A-Alright, I-I'll stop crying...” I tell the young man as I wipe the tears off my face and attempt to regain some kind of decency; later on, I ask, hopeful “I need you to answer one question for me: are there any cameras around here? Any at all?” he looks at me confused for a moment, but decides to answer my question nevertheless; it takes him five seconds to scout our surroundings and a few more to write the words “There's that one over there, but it's broken”. He then points to a small camera attached to a pole in the middle of the plaza, which doesn't seem to be active... good, that means I can show him without fear of being recorded.

“Alright then, that's good to know...” I muster up my courage and tell him “Look, you seem like a nice person, Dexter... I think I can trust you. There's something I'd like to show you... something very few people have seen before. I don't know if you'd like to see it in the first place, and you may freak out because of it, but, uh...” honestly, he already looks pretty frightened: he's slowly distancing himself from me, looking at me like I'm... oh, crap! “No! I didn't mean it that way! I don't want to... oh, screw it!” I can't run away now: I want to show him what I really am, and I can't back down! If I do, he'll just think I'm a creep or worse... and I don't want that to happen! I can't ruin this friendship before it even starts!

Fighting back against the urge to run away while I still can, I transform into my rabbit self before Dexter's own eyes, hoping he won't react badly to my little secret. As he realizes what just happened, the man's eyes dilate as some kind of small hiccup comes out of his mouth, both likely due to the sudden shock this... situation must have caused him. I mean, I can't blame him: he's reacting far better than I would've in his place.

“I'm sorry I scared you, but... this is the only thing that manages to calm me down when I think about... _them_...” I look at him, ashamed of myself and of my eagerness “I'm sorry I scared you: I didn't want to, I just thought that, maybe... man, I'm such an idiot... I bet you hate me now, don't you?” of course, he can't say anything... but he isn't writing anything either, which isn't good at all. I can't even see his expression now, covered as it is by his baseball hat... it's as if time itself stopped, keeping me trapped in an endless circle of self-delusion. Have I...?

Wait, is he really... rubbing my ear? Oh... my God... it feels so good! I don't know if I'm doing it on purpose or if it's some kind of automatic reflex, but my right foot is repeatedly thumping the ground with the same speed of a pneumatic hammer: he's _that_ good. Well, I guess this means he's not... oh, yes! Right there, below the ear... oh man, I could let him do this all day...

 

Dexter really likes to cuddle animals, that's for sure: at least, that's what he did for the following fifteen minutes. After caressing parts of my face I didn't even know were so sensible for a good amount of time, he decided to stop and reassure me “Don't worry: your secret is safe with me. :) Also, you're soooo cute! XD”; I'm glad he did it, as that pretty much gave me green light to talk with him about everything I pleased. I told him about my powers, about Red, about Fortune, about those lives me and Red saved near Marilyn Square... all things I desperately needed to let out, and it felt good, you know? It felt like talking to a wall, except that wall could actually listen and reply... why couldn't I do the same with Fortune? Maybe I'm just not used to people approaching me, especially the way she did with me... or maybe it's because she's a... a-anyway, I should apologize, next time I see her.

“Wait...” I suddenly freeze as my jaw drops “I forgot my shirt...” how could I forget it!? I didn't take the darn bag containing my newly-bought shirt before leaving to 'save the day' with Red... and there's no way it's still there after all this time! Oh, man... I just wasted twenty pounds! That's a lot of time and work... gone! I'm so gonna make Red pay for it after we reunite...

“Is there something wrong?” Dexter silently asks me, and I explain him my problem; afterwards, I comment “What upsets me the most isn't the loss of money itself... I mean, of course it does, but the real problem is that tomorrow I'll have to wear a... casual shirt instead! Man, I knew I shouldn't have used this one today... I so wanted to dress fancily at tomorrow's-”

Something passes through me, and a familiar feeling courses through my veins: fear. Dexter must be feeling it too since he's looking at me scared, expecting me to explain him what just happened... the worst part is, I think I have the answer: this is the exact same event that happened to me and Red yesterday, at the park... and that means those monsters are going to attack me again! But, this time... this time there's Dexter with me: he can't possibly fight those creatures, can he?

As the light around us becomes more physical than ever, I yell to the gardener and his bird, who has somehow made it inside this cursed place along with his human friend “Take cover behind the bench! Now!” he immediately jumps over it, following my advice to the letter, and so does the bird, who once again casually lands on his right shoulder: good, that means I won't have to worry about them as soon as those... things pop up. Hopefully...

And so, after a few instants of waiting, those... 'F.E.A.R.'s, as Red called them, appear: from behind the threes, from beneath the other benches... from everywhere the light can't reach. It's as if they were born from the shadows themselves... but that wouldn't explain why they can survive in the daylight as well: maybe they're like amphibians or something?

Nevertheless, these ones are... different from the ones me and my friend fought last time: they're taller, slimmer, almost humanoid in form... they kinda look like ghouls, to be honest... they're not quite as strong-looking as that huge giant that appeared after we defeated all the small ones, but that doesn't make these guys any less dangerous. One thing they have in common with the other monsters from yesterday night, though, is that their whole face is covered by gigantic black fangs that could swallow me whole... I won't even question how they can see without eyes.

I don't want to fight them alone, since I'm greatly outnumbered, but... oh God, look at their claws! I don't want to be skewed like that calf I ate the other day! I may be alone, but I have to fight... both for me and for Dexter! Okay, now that I think about it... maybe Red did do something to me... but who cares!? Be it ghouls or ghosts: here I come!

 

[ **2-02 – Fighter's Vow -** “Battle Theme 2” from Etrian Odyssey V by Yuzo Koshiro, Atlus (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mpPKbiVsa8>)]

 

“ **Furious Flurry!** ” I shout as I use my ears to fend off the first wave of attackers, eventually managing to kill a few of them and driving the rest away from me; a few kicks later, they all go down in style... but there are plenty more just begging to eat me whole! Although there aren't as many as yesterday night, there are still too many of them for me alone to fight at the same time... and they're much more resilient too! If beating just a few of them was this difficult, then...

Just before I can lose myself in my mind, another monster runs towards me at great speed, but I dodge out of its way at the last possible second, causing it to trip and fall down; before it can get up and keep on attacking me, I jump high up in the air and dive-kick right on top of its head, smashing it into a pulsing mass of goo: the rest of its body crumbles as well soon afterwards, meaning that these monsters have the same weak points humans have... I wonder if hitting them 'down there' would hurt as well...

Anyway, as I was saying... a bunch of creatures, ten or so I think, are now running towards me at the same time: how the heck am I supposed to defend myself against that many? I can't use my 'Furious Flurry' since there's too many of them, and if I focus only on one of them the others will no doubt take advantage of it immediately and strike me in the back... man, where's Red when you need him? If he were here, he would've already found a way to defeat these things! However, just as I miraculously avoid the first couple of attacks, I get an idea that might just work...

“ **Super Spin!** ” I shout as I begin spinning around as fast as a tornado, trying to keep my ears as rock hard as I can... and hoping to hit something while I'm at it. Incredibly enough, even though I never trained to use this... ability at all, it's still working rather fine: the monsters keep running into me as if nothing's happening and are quickly blown away or destroyed by the centrifugal force I'm generating-... man, I must look so dumb right now... but at least it's working!

All this spinning is suddenly making me real dizzy though... I can't keep up... after shoving away all the nearby monsters, I immediately stop, hoping to catch my breath: a few instants after stopping, though, I spot a black mass above me, trying to smash me under its weight... oh crap...! I try to move away, but my legs fail me and I helplessly trip on the ground, my impending doom getting closer and closer; as I look at the monster closing in on me, I see my whole life pass before my eyes... wait, since when was my life shaped like an attractive woman's backside?

 

[ ** **8-02 – Maiden of Redemption - “**** Riders of the Light” from Bayonetta 2 by Platinum Games, Nintendo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSb3W1Nq0wY&list=RDSSb3W1Nq0wY)]

 

Just before the 'F.EA.R.' can crush me, a woman that kinda looks like Fortune leaps out of nowhere and kicks the monster right in the face, sending it flying away at an incredible speed as its body disintegrates to blobby goo: realizing what just happened, I get up and stand before the woman... who is, in fact, precisely who I imagined her to be. Fortune stands heroic before me, wearing a pair of red sunglasses that cover her smug expression “Did you miss me?” she asks, amused, as she takes them off and throws them away as if they were trash.

“Wait, what the heck are _you_ doing here?” I shout, to which she immediately replies with “What, are you perhaps sad to see me, dear? I thought we were friends! Not to mention, I _did_ just save your butt right there...” well, technically, she isn't wrong: if it weren't for her... who knows what would've happened? Still... wasn't her timing a bit... odd?

Anyway, I got more important things to worry about... namely, Dexter: I turn towards him, and find him clenching the wood of the bench as if his life was at stake... from the looks of it, he's hardly containing himself from joining the fray. Unfortunately (Get it? Fortune, unfortunately? Whatever...), I have to tell him to stay away: he isn't an otherkin... or a Fortune, I guess, and if he got hurt fighting one of these things I wouldn't ever forgive myself “Stay away! She's a friend of mine: we'll defeat these monsters together!” he doesn't like my words, but agrees to my plan nevertheless and returns behind his cover, very disappointed.

"Now, I'm _dying_ _f_ or a good fight, so you dearies better prove yourselves to be better than the common weaklings I usually face... I'd like a good challenge before I introduce you to my heels." the lady shouts at the creatures, who start charging at her all together, clearly pissed... I don't know if we can really take on all of them at once, but she does seem to be quite confident: maybe we do have a chance, now that she's here...

Before we can finally engage, she somehow takes off her coat and throws it to the wind, revealing... well, herself: beneath the coat, she wears solely a black, really, _really_ short shirt that only covers her upper torso and leaves her belly completely exposed and leather pants that are so tight I don't even know how blood can circulate beneath them; both are full of white and grey drawings, mainly hearts, skulls and dagger and... wait, am I having a nosebleed? For her? Oh my God, she's so... no, keep it together Lepris! Stop fantasizing over your friends, especially if you don't even find them _attractive_... okay, maybe just a little...

“It's time to be bad...” I hear her whisper just before charging right into her enemies, far more confident in herself than I am for sure... maybe I should follow her, just to let her know I'm also here. Right before the monsters can hit her, with a spin move she jumps right up into the air, turns upside-down, and begins... rotating her legs like a freaking helicopter? “ **Spinning Bird Kick!** ” she shouts as the horde of creatures running into her is blown away like tufts on a dandelion, some of them even dissolving without ever having a chance to try again... I'm sure this isn't what I looked like while using my 'Super Spin', but I'd like to think that regardless. As she lands safe and sound on the ground, a bunch of ghouls attempt to ambush her from above... but I'm faster than them and quickly tear them to pieces in mid-air with my 'Furious Flurry'; my reflexes sure have bettered since yesterday... but all this fighting is making me feel real tired! I seriously need a vacation...

“I'd like to congratulate you for repaying your debt so quickly, dear, but I fear I would've managed to survive that blow on my own.” she mocks me as soon as I land, but I don't think she's being serious “I'm most certainly harder than you are, boy...” okay, now she's just mocking me.

“Oh, yeah? Well then: how about this!?” I reply as I smash the head of a leaping 'F.E.A.R.' between my ears, feeling some sort of friendly competition rising between us two “I bet I can kill more monsters in a single blow than you can!”

“Oh, it's on, kid! I'll have you know I never lost this kind of challenge!” she responds vigorously as we both begin smashing heads and blowing holes in bodies left, right and centre: now that there's someone else the ghouls can focus their attention on, I feel like I have more space and more time to react... and that is definitely helping me! Hopefully, I won't have to use that stupid half-baked move ever again... on the other hand, Fortune doesn't seem to mind spinning her head around like a hip-hop dancer or skilfully jumping from creature to creature like a parkour athlete: she must have had some kind of super training or something, there's no way a normal person could ever do what she's doing right now... but maybe I can, and so I write down in my head every little thing she does for me to replicate later on, when I feel more confident. Heck, it almost feels like she's willingly teaching me all this stuff so I can try and beat her... so cheesy!

In the end, though, I'm no match for her: you could tell she was going to win right from the moment we started... though she did lose some time in the beginning after... kicking the air for some reason, almost like she expected something to happen; she muttered an excuse soon afterwards, but I was too far away to hear her properly... I think she used the word 'weapons', but apart from that I can't recall anything she said.

“Well, it's safe to assume I won: well played, dear.” she says as she scouts the surrounding area, making sure there are no more monsters anywhere around us “Anything you wanna say to excuse yourself? Maybe you caught something in your eye, or maybe you tripped over some of this... goo stuff all over the ground...” you know, it's getting kinda difficult to figure out whether she's being serious or not.

“Nah, you beat me fair and square... nice moves by the way: do you have time to teach me a few of them sometime soon? I haven't been able to go to the gym for a long time now, and I could really use some exercise... and a free private teacher wouldn't hurt.” I comment ironically, but her answer leaves me quite speechless “Yeah, sure: I've got plenty of time. There isn't much I can teach you, since your technique is far different from my own, but... yeah, maybe a thing or two I can. But I'm not training you to do anything with those ears of yours: I wouldn't even know where to start...” she then chuckles, but I think she was serious about the training part... she's being a real friend, and that's really cool coming from... from...

-You're a monster, a disgrace! You shouldn't ever have been born!- oh God... my head... what the heck is this? A headache? Man, it hurts... and why can't I stop hearing that... stupid insult? I hear Fortune first asking, then shouting something... but her words are confused, garbled, impossible to decipher... and utterly meaningless. I cannot even see straight, for crying out loud... I feel like I'm going to pass out in a moment's notice...

I try to communicate, but, before I can say anything, I notice a huge... mass rapidly, far too rapidly building behind my friend... a monstrosity much, much bigger than the one me and Red fought yesterday. I try to warn Fortune, but my attempts are meaningless: something shoots out of the monster's body, something big and... definitely not good... I barely have enough time to shove away the lady before that thing hits my entire body, sending me flying backwards in the most painful way possible...

**I'm a monster. I'm a disgrace. I shouldn't ever have been born.**

 

I immediately get up and shout Lepris's name, worried for his well-being: I find him lying on the ground a good twenty feet away from me, very close to that bench his friend was hiding behind. As that green dude, who had already jumped out of his cover way before his acquaintance got wrecked by... whatever that thing was, rushes over him and attempts to reanimate him, I cannot help but worry that he might have just lost consciousness... or worse. Whether the case, it's payback time.

I turn towards the thing that hit him: what looks like the upper torso of a legless giant emerges from a huge pool on the ground, its fists far bigger than the rest of its body... I don't know what the Hell that thing is, but I sure as Hell am going to send it back to the abyss where it came from.

“Now you made me mad!” I shout as the creature attempts to punch me once again, now with even more speed and power than before... but this time... this time I'm ready.

“ _ **Let's go**_ **!** **Super Gatling Kick!** ” I yell as I kick the goliath's fist with my right boot: once, twice, thrice, left, right, left, right... faster, faster, faster! After not even a second, I've already lost count of how many times I've hit this darn thing... there's no more room for thinking here! Faster, faster, faster... I can hear the goo forming the monster's hand cracking like marble, rapidly disintegrating after witnessing my power first-hand, literally... but I can't stop now: I will finish this thing, once and for all! I put all my effort in the last blow, all my strength and willpower: with a sonorous 'crack', the fracture in the giant's hand quickly spreads to the rest of its arm, then to the chest, the other arm, the head, even the pool of goo beneath it... it's working! After what appears to be a final, desperate cry of pain, the monster crumbles to nothingness, vanishing from this world once and for all... suck on that, you-

“Wait, Lepris!” I rush to that idiot's aid as the world around me changes in luminosity, meaning no more of those 'F.E.A.R.'s, or whatever the Hell Karma dubbed them, will appear... for now, at least. I hope I'll at least have enough time to check on that stupid wannabe hero...

“Hey, are you alright?” I shout right in his face as I grab his whole body and start shaking it like a maraca, trying to get some sort of response out of him “Come on, wake up! I won't allow you to die on me, especially now that I owe you one! Come on... wake up, you dummy!” incredibly enough, after a whole lot of shaking, his eyes do open... but they're pitch black, as if a black hole stole the light out of them and replaced them with its dark nothingness. I see some kind of black smoke come out of the rabbit's mouth as he utters “Yesterday, Red saved me; then, earlier today, you saved me as well; and now, you saved me once again. And yet, I've only known you for so long... why would you save someone you don't care about? Why risk your life for someone... like me?” this voice... it's his alright, but it's more grave, distorted and manipulated: something's not right. Moreover... what kind of point is he trying to make? And why make it now?

“Well, this is awkward...” I reply, trying to find a way to awake him from this... day-dreaming session of his “Come on, you aren't as bad as you think you are... you are-”

“A fool.” he gets up of his own, almost... shoving me away “I thought you saved my life because we were friends, because you cared for me... but that's not it, is it? We're not even friends, we don't know anything about each other: you don't know what I've been through... and you don't want to know it either.”

“I never said that!” I reply aloud, hoping to snap him out of this trance “What the Hell did that thing do to you?”

“Admit it: the only reason why you helped me is because you want to look like a hero... just like Red does! Everyone either sees me as a monster or as a tool to use! You're both hypocrites... just big plain hypocrites! And I don't want anything to do with you!” he yells as he hops away, losing himself in the forest around us, still looking like a gigantic rabbit... this is a far bigger problem than I originally thought.

“Screw you, you idiot! It wasn't Red who saved me this time: it was you!” I scream in frustration as I punch the ground with both of my fists, leaving a mark of my fury on the cold stone beneath our feet: I've got to run after him, but ) need to grab my coat first... now where is...

Ah, there it is: in the hands of mister... Dexter here, who offers it to me calmly and respectfully, his expression telling me all I need to know; funny, how a shy smile and a timid posture can work better than a hundred 'thank you's.

“My, someone feels like being a gentleman today... why, thank you dear: you saved me some time. Also, thanks for looking after that crybaby for me: I'm sure he'd thank you himself, if only he were still sane...” I pretend to go away, but then turn back and add, hoping to sound intimidating enough “Oh, one more thing: if you tell anyone about what happened here today, I'll give you a treatment far worse than the one I gave that giant bag of goo... do you understand me?” he doesn't look bothered by my statement at all, and instead makes the gesture of sealing his mouth like a zip with his left hand... and throwing away a non-existent key. That's how I like my boys: gentle, obedient and silent. I'd love to spend more time with this guy, but there's a rabbit on the loose and I have to catch it before it gets too far away “Well, thanks for everything: goodbye, dear! See you soon!”

As I run in the direction that dumb bunny went, I grab my phone and dial a familiar number, hoping the man I'm looking for was called here as well “Dante...!?”

 


	9. Sentiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everyone needs a break from time to time..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this chapter is not as eventful as the others who came before, I believe it to be as interesting and entertaining as all others. After all, I needed to separate the huge fights of the last two chapters... from the one that will follow soon after...
> 
> And also, I am working on a gift for a friend of mine, which means I will be occupied this week. Chapter 10 will be released in two weeks, I hope everyone's patient enough to wait until then. For now, enjoy this humble chapter: good reading! =3

After that... let us say 'interesting' encounter with the human called Dante, I returned to my desperate search for my friend; although I felt and still feel like I am going in circles, I believe I am actually making some progress: after looking at an explicative map I found somewhere around town, I narrowed down a few places that kind of remind me of the neighbourhood Lepris lives at... now the problem is just reach them all, which is kind of difficult to solve. Even though there are plenty of 'buses' running around the streets, which, as far as I can see, are two-story tall red vehicles humans use to collectively go to one place, I cannot use them as a means of transportation since I require special 'tickets' to use them in the first place: when I interviewed the man in charge of one of these buses, he told me the only way I can buy one of these tickets is through human currency... which I do not possess at the moment at all. It seems as though I will have to walk my way to the other side of town on my own two feet again... even though my legs are begging me to stop torturing them at once...

Anyway, as I was saying, I ended up wandering in various districts of this city without a clear clue as to where to go, one of them being the one I am in at the moment: it is simply overrun with all sorts of restaurants, bars, 'cafeteria's (this 'Starbucks' really does not know what the word 'competition' even means, does he?), and all sorts of other, more exotic eating places... most of them were completely new to me, and I passed a fair number without even knowing what they cooked or prepared. It's such a shame that there are so many restaurants in this place... it would take me a whole year to visit them all! If only dragons were as innovative as humans were: my chefs have not cooked anything new ever since I was a child, and even then they constantly, miserably failed... maybe I will take a few of them on a trip to 'Earth' after I return home, so that they will finally learn something new for me: if they thought serving in the kitchen was wiser than serving in the army, they might as well do their job properly and constantly come up with new delicacies to satisfy my curiosity with... instead of always preparing the same dishes, over and over again. It got quite repetitive, to be honest... far too repetitive.

However, I spent too much time talking about cuisine: it's not a topic I find particularly relevant at the moment anyway. It is about time I stop wasting my precious time and finally return back on--wait, what is that thing over there? On the other side of the street, right in front of what looks like a rather small park with a modest marble fountain right in the middle, stands... some sort of zigzag wall with an incredible amount of... oh, I need to see this up close: I run up to what appears to be a small, open-air kiosk and witness... art.

Numerous, no, countless paintings of all shapes and sizes are attached to the wall of this makeshift booth, all made with different colours, different drawing and colouring methods, different subjects... different everything! From small orange and white animals playing within the hollow trunk of a dead tree to stylized figures sitting on the roof of an edifice while staring at quite realistic white clouds, it appears as though this artist's creativity knows no bounds... some of them are so realistic I can almost imagine myself in the painting, and others are so odd and original I can feel the emotion that sparked the concept to begin with. How... how can all this... beauty stand in a corner of the street, nonchalantly ignored by everyone nearby, when its rightful place is within the halls of an art gallery or the walls of a castle? Is it because humans think lowly of art... or is it because this is not the best they can produce? Maybe there are far, far better paintings I have yet to see, and this is only an insignificant sample of what humanity can produce... impossible...

Just now I notice the woman responsible for all this, focused on creating yet another work of art: through a technique I never heard about, which recurs to spraying an almost acid colour contained within metallic bottles on pre-made stencils and then using these same bottles to further define and refine the drawing itself, she draws and colours an image of a furred, fanged creature howling at an oversized representation of the moon, its body a silhouette in contrast to the blinding light of the moon... I swear I am crying right now...

“Why...” I whisper “Why does it take us years and a team of highly paid 'experts' to achieve only a fraction of the splendour a single human can craft in a few minutes!? Is this some kind of joke!?”

“Uh, excuse me?” the woman, clearly unsettled by my (hopefully) inaudible mutters, stands up and greets me, an optimistic look on her face “Can I help you?”

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. Whilst searching for my friend whom I got separated from, I was ambushed and almost killed by 'F.E.A.R.'s: however, just before they could strike me down, a man named Dante safely rescued me. He turned out to be far more powerful than I anticipated... good thing that he, too, works for the 'benign' entity called Karma. We departed soon after, but only after giving me a few ominous warnings...**

 

The lady in front of me is dressed much more heavily than anyone else I have seen so far, most likely due to the apparent sudden change of temperature that happened half an hour ago and that I have yet to experience personally: she wears a grey garment that I believe is called a 'sweater', long white jeans, brown shoes and a weird semi-spheric white hat that is definitely not there to satisfy an aesthetic purpose. The woman herself appears to be a 'teenager' as well, except she appears to be a bit more... mature than Lepris, in a certain way: she has short, straight, highly unnatural white hair and warm black eyes, and does strike me as quite attractive... unlike a few other females I crossed before, which will most likely give me nightmares later tonight. Seriously, I am not even kidding...

“Are you feeling well?” she asks me as I immediately snap out of my indecorous thoughts, and I quickly apologize “I am sorry milady, I am perfectly fine: I was just taking a good look at you... again, please pardon me if that upset you.” for a second she remains speechless, taken aback by my response, but she regains her composure a moment afterwards and replies, with the voice and attitude of a seasoned merchant “Well then, is there.. something else that interests you, apart from myself?”

“Well, your collection of paintings caught my interest quite so...” I answer, once again moving my eyes from artwork to artwork, finding only a few exceptions not worthy of attention “Are these paintings all yours? If I may ask, how much time did you spend drawing and colouring each one of them, roughly?”

“Well, the time I spend on each painting depends on how hard I decide to work on it, based on both personal interest and technique employed.” she points to a small canvas full of dots, lines and geometrical figures “For this one, I was inspired by a few drawings I saw on a website I usually frequent: it was my first attempt at the genre, and I only spent a few hours on it... I didn't really get what the artist was trying to communicate, which is why it's... not one of my favourites. It costs two pounds, if you're willing to buy it.” she then moves her finger towards the drawing featuring two animals playing within a dead tree's trunk “This is one of my favourites, and it took me a good three weeks to get it done properly... honestly, I'm quite saddened I have to give it away, but money ain't going to make itself: it costs around twenty pounds, if you like it.”

“What about the one you were just making?” I inquire, and she immediately answers “Well, that one took me ten minutes at best, as you saw: I've got a whole lot of other paintings like that in my bag if you want to see them, all starring the same setting but coloured differently; since they're part of a series, they each cost around five pounds... maybe slightly less, but that's pretty much it.”

To be honest, I have yet to understand how does this human currency known as 'pounds' relate to draconian gold coins, but if I reason that the money Lepris used to buy one of his shirts is equal to that required to buy one of this lady's most fine artworks... well, I cannot say I am now blown away... is creativity really this cheap on Earth?

“How much would this entire collection cost?” I ask, prompting the woman to... almost suffocate, for whatever reason “W-What did you ask again?”

“I am not joking, milady: I am seriously considering buying your entire repertoire. My home is rather vacant of originality and talent, and you offer plenty of both... and at an astoundingly low price as well. There is almost nothing I do not like and, if only I had any money with me right now, I could even consider buying everything you have this very instant... I am even considering hiring you as my personal artist, if you truly are as quick as you say you are.” upon hearing my explanation, she erupts in a joyful laughter, clearly sceptical of my proposition but also flattered by it “Really now? You're not joking? Are you really _that_ rich?”

“Pardon me, but I do not know what you mean when you say ' _that_ rich'.” I try to reason with her, hoping to make her understand that I am being quite serious with her “The only things I can tell you are that, if one gold coin has the same value as one of your 'pounds', then I could buy you and your enterprise hundreds of thousands of times; unfortunately, all my money is in... let us just say, foreign currency... and in a completely different country as well.” she does not seem to be very convinced, but... maybe I need not be convincing “If you do not believe what I am saying is true, then that is perfectly fine: eventually, when the time is right, I will be back... and I will fulfil my promise, whether you like it or not.” that surely left an impression on her... maybe too good an impression. Perhaps I am taking this 'art break' far too seriously than I should.

“Well then... we'll discuss the price as soon as you come back with _actual_ money...” she winks at me friendly, meaning my words actually got through her... and, perhaps, that we are now more than just seller and buyer. Is this yet another friendship I just established? At least this one did not start with a life-threatening battle against formidable opponents... one half of me is satisfied with this outcome, the other regrets not being able to rapidly forge a friendship based on more than words and mutual interests... oh well, there's nothing I can do about it anyway.

“Anyway, my name's Merle: nice to meet you, 'gentleman'.” she chuckles as she reveals to me her unfamiliar name; now that I think about it, I have yet to tell her my name as well... this conversation shifted direction so quickly I could not even tell her something as simple as my own birth-name! How ungraceful of me!

“A wonderful name indeed: mine is Red, and it is a pleasure to meet you; I apologize for not introducing myself before, by the way.” Merle almost seems surprised by my courtesy, but that does not prevent her from responding the way she has all this time “Red... what an unusual name. Well, nice to meet you too.” like Lepris, she too could benefit from a courtliness lesson or two... but, all things considered, she could be much ruder than I believe she is.

“Say, which painting do you like most?” she asks me as she pulls out a few more artworks and half-made canvases from a large bag she keeps behind the expository wall; some of them are even better than the paintings that are currently being showcased... one of them immediately catches my attention, and almost instantaneously becomes my favourite.

Above a sea of expertly-crafted and curiously-shaped grey clouds flies an avian much, much bigger than any I have seen flying high up in the sky so far... in fact, the shape and size of its body are so strange someone could even mistake it for a feathered, winged human... wait, is this... an otherkin? The bird has short white feathers that cover its whole body apart from its legs (or, rather, claws) that are black and more rigid in comparison to the rest of its body; the large, big-feathered wings on the bird's back do not coincide with its arms, which are still present even though feral birds, generally at least, do not possess them... as for the head, it sports a short black beak, big black eyes and, surprisingly enough (unless you view the artwork the way I am currently, of course), short white hair flowing in the wind. The anatomy of this bird reminds me a lot of that of us dragons, but since dragons do not exist in this world as far as I know... then the only reasonable conclusion is that the person here described is an otherkin... moreover, if all this were not enough, the expression this shape-shifter is making, one of pure freedom and abandonment to the wind, is far too human to be that of a mere animal, or even of a monster for that matter. The question is: if this woman does know about the existence of otherkins, because it is possible that this artwork could be just a product of her imagination, does it mean that she _is_ one or that she simply _knows_ one such person?

Wishing to know more about this art piece, I point the painting to Merle, who is quick to block me “That one I won't sell: it's my favourite, and I'm really attached to it... sorry, but I won't part from it.”

“That is perfectly fine by me: if that is what you wish, then I am no-one to force you.” I reassure her, and ask “Say, what... inspired you to make that painting?”

It takes her a while to find the right words, but when she does... they reek of sorrow and regret “I once dreamed I could go wherever I wanted, do whatever I wanted, think whatever I wanted... and, most of all, fly as high as I wanted. I once dreamed of flying in a sea of clouds, no, even higher up than the clouds, so close to the Sun I could almost touch it... I wanted to prove that the sky isn't a limit, but an opportunity...” she turns away to dry a tear that threatens to fall from her right eye, her voice cracking for an instant like that of a child “...However, as with all dreams, one day... you wake up, and you realize you haven't moved from the ground one bit... and you start thinking that, maybe, you never will.” a deafening silence fills the air, and I find myself once again incapable of answering an implicit question I cannot understand. And yet, I feel like I have to say something... anything, as long as it makes her feel better.

“You might not have moved from the ground one bit... but that does not prevent you from trying again, this time for real. Plus, it is untrue that all dreams are illusions: if they were designed specifically to make fun of us, I seriously doubt we would even have them in the first place.” it might not have been a lot, and honestly I do not even know what exactly I was advocating for, but Merle seems to appreciate my words immensely and regains her usual facade in a few seconds, now stronger than ever “Yeah, you're right... that's exactly what I did, and I won't give up now. I will show this world that dreams can come true, no matter the cost! I know I can make it, and that's all I need!”

Now, to be honest, I am just as clueless as before in regards to that painting and her knowledge of otherkins... but I cannot ask the same question twice, else she might realize there might be a second purpose behind the inquiry... which could be good if she were an otherkin, but disastrous if she were not. I cannot risk revealing Lepris's secret to a mere acquaintance, especially to one I cannot trust fully... but perhaps I can at least attempt to find out through other, more subtle remarks.

I inspect the rest of her gallery, and find one other painting that I could use to assess her knowledge of otherkins... and of my kin as well: a rather realistic representation of a dragon, although there are quite a lot of mistakes in its form that I wish to tell the artist about. For example, this dragon walks on all fours like an animal... and is so big and tall an entire mountain would not be enough to house it: these are only the littlest of the misconceptions this lady has about my kind... misconceptions I intend to rectify right now.

“May I ask you a question?” I turn to the artist, who gives me clearance to proceed via her expression “Have you followed someone else's advice to depict this dragon or is this a product of your imagination?” she looks at the painting I am talking about and replies, quite sure “This was my third attempt at drawing dragons, and I kept in mind both ancient and modern representations of occidental dragons while doing so... so, what do you think of it?”

“Well, pardon me milady, but both your piers and ancestors are quite mislead on the appearance of dragons: first off, a dragon is not that different from a human in terms of size and appearance, and they certainly do not walk around on four feet like a prey to be hunted... and their decency also prevents them from running around naked like this one.” Merle is now looking at me like I just said the biggest idiocy in the world, but has yet to correct me on anything I said; I decide to make some more comments, just to spark some kind of reaction from her... whether good or bad “Moreover, there are some additional... inconsistencies in its design that are quite hard to explain. For example, at least from the looks of it, this... individual appears to be a fire dragon, as you can tell from the colour of his iris, which is of course red: however, the length of his tail is quite disproportional to the length of his body, meaning this could also be a dark dragon... there are other minor differences, but let us focus on these two for now. So, if he were a fire dragon, he could not have such a lengthy tail... however, if he were a dark dragon, he could not have such red irises, as dark dragons tend to have them either black or purple: the only way this... hybrid could exist is if he were son of both a fire dragon _and_ a dark dragon... but the likelihood of such a conception is quite low, and there is no proof that the combination would result in an individual that possesses both typical characteristics...”

“I see...” the lady mutters as she covers her mouth with her right fist, possibly meaning she might be reasoning something in her head “Say, you keep referring to this dragon as a male... which is, by the way, what I was thinking while making him... but I can't understand what makes _you_ think he's a guy. So, mind explaining?”

“Not at all: you can tell he is a man simply by looking at his wings and his limbs. The former are large and robust, meaning he is most certainly a male; the latter are strong and muscular. Both these informations point to this dragon's gender being masculine--oh, and also the shape of his head: it's jagged and sharp, also most likely implying he's a male.” I hope she takes this advice at heart and does not make such crucial mistakes next time she draws a... wait, why was I telling all this to her in the first place? I think I may have lost myself in all those ramblings... how can I use all I just said to test her?

“Alright, let me ask you another question then.” she turns towards me, an inquisitive expression on her face; I am afraid I will not like what she is going to say next “You seem pretty confident that what you're saying is true... but everything you've said so far can't be found in any book or legend, even in the most ancient ones... at least as far as I know: so, how do you know all this stuff? Where have you read all this information?” Gods, how do I get out of this mess? I thought this conversation would have led her to reveal me her true self... and instead I only managed to force myself into a corner! I cannot just tell her I am a dragon, especially if she is not an otherkin... I need to reply in a way that will make her back down, at least temporarily... but how?

“Well, I have an entire library full of all kinds of books on dragons: I just gave you a summary of everything I have learned from them.” at first I think this answer would suffice, but she is quick to react and inquires “Oh, yeah? What kinds of books are they? Give me a few titles, possibly even the names of the authors.” she is being quite pretentious towards me, but I cannot make complaints... especially since I am the one to blame for this awkward situation.

As I attempt to invent a few names to please her, in vain, I hear movement to my right... a lot of it, in fact: both me and Merle turn towards the source of the noise and miraculously catch a poorly-dressed, rather small burglar in the act of stealing some paintings from the expository wall, clearly taking advantage of our heated discussion: as soon as I shout him to hand over the stolen goods, he begins running away in the opposite direction... but I cannot allow him to get away with his crime and immediately chase him down, dead-set not to let him run away.

Even though this human is not particularly fast, I am still quite exhausted from all the walking I did before and that prevents me from catching the man immediately... I do still have enough energy left to slowly gain an advantage over him though, and it is only a matter of seconds before I almost reach him. However, just before I can grab his jacket and stop him from getting away, a sudden and strangely powerful gust of wind coming from up front blows in our direction, stopping the burglar from escaping and almost preventing me to move as well... except it does not, and I manage to move, although with a certain difficulty, all the way towards the man: it does not take me long to snatch the paintings away from the man and bind him to the ground... just as, coincidentally, the storm ends. How curious... I turn towards Merle, whom I find holding an open, finely decorated fan towards my direction: as soon as she notices me, she puts back the fan into one of her jeans' pockets (funny how I never noticed that fan before... or even the other one, which she holds in a parallel pocket) and rushes towards me, concerned for her merchandise.

“Nothing broken, nothing ruined... good, it seems like everything's still as good as ever.” she says as she grabs the artworks and puts them back in their place; meanwhile, I look at the people eating and conversing at the tables on the other side of the road: they appear to not care less about anything that just transpired... in fact, it almost looks as if they are purposefully ignoring us... how disgraceful of them.

“Now, about you...” Merle returns soon afterwards, and turns to face what I can now see is nothing more than a kid, vainly wrestling on the ground while muttering sentences along the lines of 'Let me go!'; “You're just a kid... why did you try to steal those paintings? Why would you ever need them?” she asks, and only obtains elusive answers and offensive remarks in return... wait, now that I think about it... this kind of reminds me of a 'situation' I had with a young troublemaker back in Draconia: I may already know the reason behind this kid's deplorable actions.

Just to be sure, I put my right hand on the kid's chest and assess his heartbeat: it's somewhat fast, but that is most likely due to the sudden stress... I memorize it and then ask the boy, who is still opposing resistance “Let me ask you a question: are you doing this because you aspire to be a burglar...” my question is greeted with harsh, ironic dissent and the kid's heartbeat does not increase at all... but I had foreseen it “...Or because you seek to satisfy someone else's desires? Perhaps those of someone... very special to you?” his heartbeat skyrockets as he immediately stops resisting and even talking. It seems as though I was right all along... but then again, when am I in the wrong?

The kid breaks down soon afterwards, crying all over the pavement as he sobs about a girl he has fallen in love with, who is gentle with him despite his horrible behaviour and whom he wished to gift those drawings to thank her for her friendship... yes, this sounds more or less like that incident I mentioned before: once again, a crime of love... and, once again, I perfectly know how to solve it.

“Ah, love... it's ironic how the highest and most noble of sentiments can sometimes lead to the lowest acts imaginable... do you not think so?” I let go of the kid, and warn him “If you think stealing is the only way you can repay a woman of her kindness, then you are clearly mistaken: what do you think she will say the day she learns of your past misdeeds? She will probably abandon you, most likely disgusted of herself, knowing she was the cause of your lawless act... and you will never forgive yourself either, meaning you will both suffer until the end of times...” he could escape at any time, and yet he's choosing to stay here and listen, rightfully ashamed of his actions... this means he is being sincere, and that means the last part of my speech will not go to waste “If you truly want to brighten this girl's day, gift her something that you obtained through hard work and dedication: something that is yours, something that money cannot buy... something that will make her remember you for as long as she lives. That is the right way... and I am sure you will follow it, for you are a much nicer person than you think you are.” he nods as he dries his tears, thanks the both of us (both for my words and for not calling the 'police' on him) and runs away, now a much better person.

“Are you sure we've done the right thing?” Merle inquires, unsure “I mean, what if he just goes to the next shop he finds and attempts to steal once more? He may have lied about the 'girl' part as well.”

“He was not lying, that much I can assure you: kids do not know how to control their bodies, they do not know how to 'fake' their heartbeat... if he truly were lying, he would be a much better criminal than any I have ever witnessed! I am sure he now knows what he did was wrong, and is already thinking of another, nicer present to gift his lady; kids are young, and easily strayed from the right path... but, with the right guidance, they can overcome their flaws and become better people: nobody is born evil, not even the worst of criminals.” she does not seem fully convinced, but it appears as though my words had some sort of effect on her...

That's when the ring on my right index finger tightens once more as a faint light coming from the expertly-crafted dragon's eyes shines and directs me towards... none other than Merle herself, who appears to be unable to even see the light of the ring. I immediately recognize this event: this is exactly what happened yesterday night, just before I met Lepris... if it were not for the ring, I doubt we would have ever crossed paths. Does this imply that Merle is... an otherkin as well? Are my suspicions true after all?

-Everyone you involve in your quest will suffer, and it'll only be your fault...- Dante's words echo in my mind, reminding me of a terrible truth: if we both tell each other the truth, we will most likely be bound to one another just like me and Lepris... and that means she will have to go through a whole lot of suffering as well. How far am I willing to go in my quest before I break all those around me, who so gently lent me their power for my noble cause? Is her friendship, her alliance, worth more than her feelings... or even her own life?

Of course it is: now that I know that my very presence is a curse both for me and for others, even though I will need all the help I can get in the final battle, I will not risk any more lives in my quest, especially those of innocent bystanders; therefore, I decide not to further pester the lady with otherkin-related questions and to treat her merely as the skilled artist she is.

However, the woman herself has not forgotten, nor wish to forget the discussion we were having before we were interrupted by that scoundrel “So, about those books...” how foolish of me: I had the perfect chance to run away and I wasted it! What can I do now that I cannot-

Something rings inside yet another pocket in the lady's jeans: a phone, perhaps? At least it manages to get the human off of me for a few instants: she grabs the white-coloured phone and presses something along its surface, then nears it to her ear “Hello? Who is it?” after a few brief seconds, her expression gets more serious as she turns to face the entirety of the road in front of us, almost in search of something; then, unexpectedly, she hands me her phone while muttering “It's for you.” alright, this is strange... Lepris told me enough about phones to know the person calling could not know I was near this lady, or even know this lady's phone number in the first place...

I grab the electronic device and near it to my own ear, before asking “Hello?”

“Hey.” I recognize this voice... is this Dante? Speak about the devil... “Sorry for interrupting your art break, but there's something odd going on... and I think you might want to hear about it.” he tells me, in a worried but, at the same time, surprisingly calm and inexpressive voice.

I turn to face the opposite road as well, and find the man whom I am talking to sitting alone next to a few empty tables in front of one of those 'Starbucks' cafeterias, his two-wheeled means of transportation nonchalantly parked right before him, seemingly intact despite exploding in a million pieces only half an hour ago; he waves at me as he adds, his voice a tad lower “It's about your friend, Lepris.” oh no... have my worries come true once more?

“What happened to Lepris?” I inquire, desperate “Is he in trouble?”

“'Trouble' is an understatement: from the looks of it, he got hit by a huge 'F.E.A.R.' while protecting my partner, Fortune, and an innocent bystander... the monster has been dealt with, but it seems as though your friend lost his mind. Fortune said he began rambling about incoherent stuff and making accusations at both her and you and that he fled the scene soon after, somehow managing to evade her and disappear from sight... worst of all, I've got readings of a huge dark power amassing somewhere around the middle of the city, and I fear it might be related to what just happened with your friend. To sum it all up: we're running out of time and, if you want to save your friend, you have to come with me right now.” well, he's certainly not beating around the bush... to be honest, I am quite scared: I have a feeling this whole situation is my fault, a mess I will have to solve.

“I need to go: we shall continue this discussion at a later date.” I tell Merle as I give her back her phone and watch Dante get back on his two-wheeled vehicle and drive all the way across the road, disrespectful of the laws of the street... although I have to say I could not care less about them in this moment.

“Wait: where are you going?” she asks me, confused.

“To save the day.” I answer as I mount the loud stallion right behind the man, who immediately takes off as soon as I find a way not to fall from the transport's high velocity: it appears as though this one will be a wild ride... one that I cannot say I am not excited for.

 


	10. Autophobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There's no worse feeling than feeling alone whilst surrounded by people..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! It's finally here! After 10 days of work, most likely double the amount of hours spent and an astounding amount of FIFTEEN Word pages, we finally reach the longest chapter I have ever written in my whole career up to this point! Did you know that this day, exactly one year ago, was the beginning of my writing hobby? Precisely: three-hundred-sixty-five days ago, maybe not exactly at this hour of the day but... minor details, I guess, I published my first-ever fiction. I have come such a long way from then, do you not think so?
> 
> Anyway, this chapter right here is very special to me: it really tested my prowess at expressing myself in English, and I am quite proud of the end result. It could have been longer, but fifteen pages is already long enough in my opinion... and frankly, this is not even the longest chapter I am ever going to publish either! So yeah, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did while writing it. =3

“So, to sum everything you said up to now: Lepris wandered off in this 'botanic garden' place, where he met a local human whom he became friends with; they were then both attacked by F.E.A.R.s and managed to defeat them with Fortune's aid, who happened to pass by at the moment... only for my friend to be hit by a huge monster, losing his mind shortly afterwards and running off to who knows where. Have I interpreted your words correctly?” I try to piece together everything Dante has told me so far as we hastily make our way through the crowded streets of the city, dodging cars left and right as we attempt to track down the source of the disruption the man senses.

“More or less, yeah...” the human answers as we change direction “This thing sure is fast... I can only hazard a guess as to its exact location, and Fortune will have to deal with it if she wants to help us track this thing down... heh, I can already imagine her running around like a lunatic.” he chuckles, but I cannot tell if he's being serious or ironic.

Nevertheless, for some reason he suddenly and unexpectedly halts, just like all the other vehicles around us, right before an intersection... are we not supposed to be going fast? Why the sudden stop? I inquire the man about it, and he immediately answers “The traffic light's red: that means we can't go anywhere until it turns green... and, judging by the size of the intersection, it might take a while.” a light attached to a pole at the corner of the street has indeed just turned red... Gods, this is definitely uncalled for...

“Are you joking? There has to be another way...” I gnash my teeth, the thought of my friend in danger worrying me beyond measure.

“Well, we could always 'forget' about the law and drive through these streets my way...” the crossroad ahead of us is flooding with cars, and we could cause a massive accident were we to proceed the way Dante suggested... I ask him if he would be able to do so without causing a colossal disaster, and he replies affirmatively “You can trust me... I think. The problem is: are you sure you want me to break the rules just for one person?” to be honest, this is one tough moral dilemma... but the answer is simple, and I instantaneously give it to the human clad in black “Do as you will.” without any sort of warning, the man's ride dashes forward into the madness these inept 'drivers' are causing and, without even grazing a single vehicle, sprints through the queues like a prey escaping a looming predator, totally uncaring of the loud bursts of noise these humans are rewarding him with. I can understand their anger and frustration... but I cannot care about either of them at the moment.

“Isn't the weather acting a bit odd?” Dante asks, prompting me to look upwards: something has indeed changed... thirty minutes ago the sky was as clear and limpid as spring water, and now there are so many dark clouds covering the sky like an incoherent mass I would not be surprised if it were to rain in a moment's notice... which is exactly what happens a few seconds afterwards, much to my dismay “This is strange... the Sun is nowhere to be seen either. How could a storm appear so suddenly without anyone noticing?” I ask, confused.

“I don't know: there was no mention of incoming storms in the weather forecast I watched some hours ago...” the human answers, shaking his head “There's a worse part too: look upwards, ahead of us.” I turn in the direction the man asked me to... and spot like a small, though slowly magnifying vortex of clouds forming in the sky above the city... that does not feel normal in the least “This presence I'm feeling... I think it's coming from somewhere over there. Do you need me to do two plus two for you or can you figure it out yourself?”

“That I can do, thank you...” I refuse his 'assistance', though I know he was merely joking; nonetheless, this cannot be mere coincidence. Something weird is going on in this city in this very moment... something obscure and evil... and I am determined to find its root and burn it to ashes.

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud, though familiar noise as a fair number of black and white cars with shining blue and red light atop them suddenly appear behind us, screaming their loud sirens in an attempt to drive us mad “Should've expected it... well, I hope you're ready Red: this is going to get messy.” the human says as the speed of his vehicle increases dramatically, almost making me fall backwards in the process...

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After a brief, though quite refreshing pause from the wild events of the last few hours, I was contacted by Dante, the mysterious warrior in black, who told me that my friend Lepris had gone missing and that a powerful, dark presence was growing somewhere in the city... naturally, I decided to follow him on a quest to both vanquish said evil and find Lepris, who might be somehow related to all this...**

 

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I ask as I look everywhere around me, assessing my surroundings: Dante brought us to a big plaza, sporting what looks like an ancient fountain right in the middle, decorated by fine sculptures in rough black stone and rotten bronze and surrounded by an immense, although truthfully uninteresting white edifice on all sides except the one we came from; many people are under the building's long portico, attempting to shield themselves from the sudden rain that is horribly ruining the landscape, but I fail to see Lepris anywhere around me...

“Honestly, I don't know: as I said, I've just been following this strange presence I felt earlier everywhere it went; also, sorry for not telling you before, but I'm not sure if this 'thing' and your friend are related or anything... but it might be possible, you know? That said, this presence is very... unusual. It's as if it's constantly bouncing between the real world and the 'Astra-grid', never stopping for one second... truth be told, I'm having a hard time figuring out its exact location. It could be anywhere around us.” the man tells me, his grave and serious tone still the same as ever “That said, I can almost guarantee what we're looking for is somewhere around here... we just have to keep looking. Also, never heard of the strategy 'divide and conquer'?” I nod positive, and inquire “You are suggesting to separate in order to cover a bigger area, am I correct?”

“Exactly, though in this case we won't be covering a bigger area at all: we'll cover the same places, only I'll search in the real world and you'll search in the 'Astra-grid'. The police's still looking for us after all, and I think I can evade it way better than you.” he says as I jump out of his black vehicle; he then adds “If you find this thing first, the sudden emotion shift that will result from it will be enough for me to locate you; in case I am the one to find it first however, there's no way I'll be able to tell you... but I'm sure I'll figure something out were that to happen. After all, I can take care of myself without your help.”

“The same goes for me, thank you.” I try to protect my honour from the man's unexpected and witty remark “Still, how am I supposed to enter the 'Astra-grid' without being attacked by a 'F.E.A.R.' first?” I ask, confused.

“Like this.” he says as he pushes the air between us with his left hand: even though his glove is far from touching me, he somehow generates a massive gust of air that pulls me backwards and makes me land on my backside. As soon as I get up, I realize that I did indeed enter the 'Astra-grid', what with the strange lighting and the impossibility to see normal civilians; however, probably due to the current situation, the atmosphere is much... darker than before. Minuscule drops of water are still raining everywhere, but they do not appear to have a physical form whatsoever and I have yet to get wet from any of them. Also, the air is substantially less cold, which I guess could be considered a plus.

As I prepare to move out, I notice I can still see Dante for whatever reason... and he can apparently see me as well: he is showing me his right fist, his thumb lifted upwards... from what I gathered so far, it's supposed to be a symbolic gesture meaning 'good luck'. The expression he is now wearing seems to imply that as well, but it's too similar to his usual one for me to be completely sure.

As he leaves the area, still riding his black two-wheeled mount, I feel... some kind of presence, and a quite intimidating one at that too, calling me from afar: it seems to come from somewhere behind me, but I cannot see anything of interest quite yet... gah, if only that human had waited a second longer! Nevertheless, I cannot simply ignore this ominous invite: I immediately fly towards this mysterious energy, hoping to rescue my friend from whatever mess he got himself into.

 

All the squares I have seen up until now were quite big, sure, but definitely not as big as the one in the heart of my home-town: the wideness of the diameter of that one, I once thought, was a record destined to be infrangible. However, once again, my calculations proved to be inexact: this plaza, by far, is the biggest open area within a city that I have ever seen in my life. The ground is covered by small, colourful mosaics that depict anything, ranging from flowers, to animals, to humans... there are so many wonderful things everywhere below me, but I do not have enough time to name them all. There are lots of small monuments and places of little interest around me, but what I am truly interested in are the two large, but otherwise quite simplistic fountains in the middle of the plaza and the tall and sinuous obelisk that stands between them, silent overseer of this incredible place. A flaming dark aura sprouts from the ground right next to the pillar, and at the centre of it lies, standing idle above a beautiful image of a sleeping rabbit... oh, Gods...!

“Lepris!” I rush towards my friend, currently in his rabbit form, who is silently being consumed by the black flames: as I get closer and closer, I realize the shape-shifter has no intention of moving away from the flame... in fact, not only does it look like the malefic aura is somehow bound to him, but that he is producing it in some way as well! I sincerely doubt this is something Lepris was able to do all along, so the only reasonable conclusion is that something evil is now possessing my friend... a 'F.E.A.R.', perhaps?

“ **Oh, you came.** ” he mutters in an ominous, unrecognisable tone as I land a dozen feet away from him; Lepris is looking even more emotionless and depressed than the human who escorted me here a few minutes ago was... at least that man looked somewhat alive, despite his mysterious demeanour. The darkness in Lepris's eyes unfortunately confirms my suspicions: he is indeed being influenced by something obscure, though I cannot gauge whether I am speaking with my friend or said evil presence “ **Are you here to save the day once again?** ” my companion asks, almost ironic.

“I am not here to 'save the day', Lepris: I am only here to help you.” I reply, hoping to sound enough convincing for him to break out of what appears to be a full-fledged trance.

“ **As if you cared.** ” he rudely responds, a faint shade of anger appearing on his face “ **Ever since you arrived in this world, everything you did was to help others: first yesterday night, then today at lunch, then once again this afternoon... heck, I bet you even saved a few other people while I wasn't with you!** ” with every word he utters, his expression slowly shifts towards one of anger, sadness and grief: I do not know if I should be considering it a positive thing, but... maybe, if I keep answering his questions and find out the reason why he is behaving so oddly, I might be able to help him. I just need to keep pressuring him... and defy all of his doubts.

“I cannot see where lays the problem in helping others: are you perhaps implying that I should not be showing others kindness when they most need it? Are you implying I should not have helped you, yesterday, when you were alone in the cold and those thugs were closing in on you? Should I have abandoned you to your destiny, Lepris?” I inquire, imposing.

“ **Yes, you should have! That's what everybody does!** ” his wrath is rapidly growing, but he has yet to erupt like I am hoping he will “ **Everybody leaves me as soon as they learn what I am, so why didn't you? Because you needed someone to use as a tool, that's why! You just had to involve me in your** _ **futile**_ **war, didn't you?** ” I tighten the grip my right hand has on my sword's hilt, upset over the adjective Lepris just used, 'futile': although I know he is not in his mind at the moment, I cannot help but silently curse him for a short instant “I never involved you: _you_ decided to help me on _your own_ volition... exactly like I helped you on my own volition! Tell me: do you really believe me to have acted the way I did... out of selfishness? Seriously?” I shout, extremely close to my objective; the black aura is becoming bigger and bigger by the second, and I can only hope this is not necessarily a bad thing.

As his eyes begin to burn a gloomy light, the rabbit finally yells, angrier and sadder than any other man alive “ **Yes, yes you have! You didn't save me because you cared for me: you saved me just because you could! Because you felt you were obliged to do it! And Fortune's just like you as well: neither of you truly cares about me, neither of you really knows me... and yet, you want me to believe we're friends!? Friends!? I already know you're both gonna drop me as soon as I stop being useful to you... just like everyone else who came before you did! Every time I try to make 'friends', every time I open my heart to someone... they stab me in the back, just before I can learn just how much they've used me!** ” I feel a powerful presence rising from the darkness within Lepris's soul, and I cannot help but be scared about it: as I prepare to hear my friend's final shout, I cannot help but wonder if the way I chose to proceed was the right one “ **I've always been alone, even when I was surrounded by 'friends' like you, and I always will... and nobody can ever change that! Nobody!** ” as the last words of the rabbit echo in the shadows of the night, the aura of malice around the shape-shifter somehow implodes, sending Lepris flying in my direction at considerable speed as it detaches from the man it tortured for so long a time; I catch Lepris in mid-air, but in doing so I myself am thrown backwards as well and eventually fall to the ground, slightly hurt but thankful that my friend has not been injured further.

“Red?” I hear him whisper as he breaks free of his trance “Are... are you okay?” he immediately gets off of me and rapidly jumps up before helping me get up as well, still imperceptibly hurt from our impact “Yes, of course... but what about you? Do you require assistance?”

At first sight, Lepris appears to be perfectly fine... but, as the shape-shifter touches his chest with his right hand and explains to me how he feels at the moment, well... I realize the damage that thing did to him might be more serious than I originally thought “I feel... empty. I... I can't feel anything: no joy, no hope, no love... all I can feel is... like a huge void in my chest, as if my heart was stolen from me.”

“You were possessed by some kind of entity: do you remember anything about that?” my answer is not delayed by one second and the rabbit quickly answers “Yeah, I do... I was fully awake during the whole time. Something took control of me... from within me: something that knew about my fears, my anxieties, my insecurities... the worst part is that they kept reminding them all to me as they aimlessly ran around with my body, doing who knows what... wait, what if...” as both of us realize at the same time the connection between Lepris's strange condition and the aura that just separated itself from him, we turn to face whatever has been possessing my friend for so much time: what mere seconds ago was just an incorporeal aura, no more real than a hallucination, has now turned, through unknown means, into... an exact replica of the rabbit, the only difference being in the eyes, which are as black and hollow as they were before.

Before either of us can ask any questions or, in my case, engage in combat, the... monster begins to act erratically, almost multiplying as it speaks a multitude of words and expresses a wide range of emotions while performing a variety of... rather dramatic poses, or whatever those actions are supposed to be; it is speaking far too fast for me to understand anything it says, but Lepris seems to understand it perfectly fine... and, despite having seemingly lost the ability to feel, his expression still manages to show a great amount of fear.

Suddenly, the entity completely stops moving as its words become much easier to interpret “ **You've always been lonely... haven't you? Your 'powers', as you call them, have proven to be more of a curse than a bless... every time you opened up to someone, they either left you horrified or tried to use you to their advantage.** ” it is referring to Lepris, that is for sure... but I cannot understand what is this thing's goal “ **You're a good person... so different from everyone else: such a pure mind... is destined to be crushed by a society that just doesn't care about your ideas, your values, your feelings. The more you want to be loved, the more you're hurt in return... there's only one way out of this circle of false hopes and meaningless despair, and I know you've considered it plenty of times already.** ” what is this nonsense it's talking about? The only thing I can think of is... does that mean that Lepris seriously considered... suicide? What?

The mimic tends their hand to Lepris and, much to my horror, soothingly invite him to go with it “ **There's no love for us, only a life of endless solitude... but we can end our torment right now, if you wish. Come: let us end our suffering once and for all.** ” no... no, this is madness! I cannot allow this conversation to continue one second longer! This monster cannot and will not convince Lepris to give up like this!

“I do not know who or what in the world are you...” I move between Lepris, who appears to be unsure whether to follow the creature's advice or not, and the monster itself and unsheathe my sword, ready to engage in battle “...But I will not allow you to deceive my friend into taking his own life! I refuse! If death is what you are seeking, then I shall grant it to you myself!” Lepris gasps upon hearing me speak, surprised, confused and reassured at the same time... I truly hope that standing up for him will make him realize just how much I care about his well-being.

“ **I see...** ” the creature's head turns to face the ground, its seriousness having turned into a mixture of anger and sadness “ **You're just like everyone else: you sow hope and reap despair, voluntarily oblivious to the pain he suffers every day... we're tired of people like you, we've always been.** ” the entity's body emits a shining light as sharp, glowing azure crystals emerge from its skin and quickly transform it into an armoured abomination; with its voice now distorted into something both angelic and demonic, the monster claims “ **Now I understand... our suffering can only end with your death: prepare to die. Revenge will be sweet, for once.** ”

 

[ **2-04 – Solitudinem: Fear of Loneliness -** “H8 u 2” by Lukhash (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMU6rFdkGBY>)]

 

Without hesitation, the monster shoots a volley of sharp, edged crystal shards our of its right hand, accurately closing in on us at remarkable speed for something as heavy as those rocks appear to be; as I attempt to move out of the way, I realize Lepris seems to be hesitant to move... so I immediately turn back, grab his left arm and throw the both of us on the ground, somehow miraculously dodging the incoming projectiles “Lepris, stop daydreaming! I do not want you to die on me, so get up and help me defeat this thing!” I shout at him as I force him to stand up and subsequently avoid another barrage of crystals that threaten to kill us both.

“Yeah, sorry... I'll do my best.” he melancholically replies as he regains his senses and begins dodging the monster's attacks on his own; something is definitely wrong with him... but do I really have the time to say or do anything when both our lives are at stake? My mind wants me to postpone any discussion until after the battle, but... my heart is advising me otherwise: who should I listen to this once, I wonder?

For now, at least, I make of the current battle my biggest priority: the monster appears to be made out of sturdy crystals that also constitute its primary attack method... and, as long as it keeps shooting, any attempt of attacking the creature directly would most likely not end well. I warn Lepris not to engage directly, a command he immediately follows, and to wait for me to figure out a way to damage this monster first “Yeah, that sounds alright... I'll try to keep it distracted in the meantime then.” he calmly responds as he moves away from me, seeking to divert the monster's attention and buy me some time... a plan that seems to work, at least for a few seconds: enough for me to cast a basic spell, at least.

“ **Volcanic Barrage!** ” I shout as powerful fireballs are shot out of my flaming body, directed towards our enemy: the monster does absolutely nothing to dodge my spell, even though it had all the time in the world to do so, and all my projectiles hit its body squarely... and do no damage whatsoever, despite their potency. Unbelievable... but I still have some more time to attack, so I get closer to the creature and shout “ **Heat Wave!** ” as a powerful fire blast engulfs it completely... and still does absolutely nothing, despite putting some serious effort in my attack this time; my attacks are most likely ineffective because of the monster's rocky composition, but... if not through magic, what can I possibly do to bypass its defences? I cannot get close enough to engage with my sword, so what I can I possibly do now?

The creature turns to face me and begins shooting at me once again, quite annoyed by my previous attempt to damage it: I run away from the bullets and towards Lepris, thinking he might have figured out some way of damaging our opponent, but it turns out he is just as clueless as I am “We can't hit that thing from up close... and your attacks from afar don't deal nearly enough damage! Red, what can we do?” he asks me, still looking quite scared despite his supposed lack of emotions “I do not know... the only thing we can do is hope something eventually happens...” I reply as we dodge yet another barrage of crystal shards.

“ **I'm tired of you.** ” the monster mutters lowly as what appears to be a big, rhomboidal crystal begins forming in front of it: before I even have a chance of doing something about it, the creature throws the huge rocky mass towards us, which disintegrates mid-way in a vast multitude of much smaller and faster shards, which seem to chase us directly and change their direction as soon as we try to run away from them... this does not look good at all...!

My first thought is to use my 'Fire Wall' ability to shield both me and my companion from the attack, but something else shields us before I can do as much as move a finger: a rather large floating black shield, as big as both of us combined, appears in front of us just an instant before the crystals can hit us, destroying them all as they stupidly crash onto its sturdy surface “I know, I'm late.” a familiar voice claims, slightly annoyed “I don't know why, but you were far more difficult to track down than I expected.” both me and Lepris turn around, only to be greeted by the stern and somehow reassuring face of Dante “I hope I didn't miss too much on the way here.”

“Wait, who are you again?” Lepris inquires, confused; “He is a friend of mine: his name is Dante, and he helped me some time ago in defeating some 'F.E.A.R.'s. He is here to help us... or rather, help you.” I explain, prompting the human to tend his hand for the shape-shifter to shake “So you're Lepris... interesting. Nice to meet you.” the rabbit hesitantly shakes the human's hand, but soon after asks “Why do you think I'm... interesting?” to be honest, even I think that 'interesting' is a rather strange adjective to describe a person without context: what does he mean by that?

“Because I can only sense a handful of emotions coming from you: fear, sadness and a few other 'bad' feelings... apart from those, you're practically empty. Strangely enough, even though you're currently the saddest person on the planet, I can't feel any sort of... evil within you: negative thoughts and similar stuff... we all have them, but you currently don't; as you are right now, you're pretty much untraceable by me... good thing your friend Red was around, I guess.” so Dante can find people simply by searching for the... evil within them? Does that mean he can also 'see' said evil as well? Moreover, is he implying that I possess some kind of evil within me? I mean, I know I am not flawless, but... oh well, that is not my biggest concern at the moment: this battle is.

As it is, we have kind of forgot about the enemy we are supposed to be fighting, who is trying to outmanoeuvre us by moving around the battle arena and shooting at us from different directions... frankly, he is quite fast for someone made out of literal stone. Thankfully, Dante's shield mindlessly and constantly repositions itself to protect us from the enemy projectiles, but I wonder how long it will last before breaking... can it even break? Apparently, yes, since Dante is now referring to me, in a subtly more alarmed tone “So, what's the plan?”

“So far, nothing we have tried has succeeded: we cannot get close enough to strike directly and indirect attacks are ineffective as well... it pains me to say it, but I do not know how to proceed.” I admit, hoping the human might have a better solution than I do.

“Alright then: time for me to shine I guess. I'll have to lower the shield to attack that thing, so get ready to run.” he says as he turns around, waiting for the monster to stop attacking for one second in order to engage; as soon as that happens, both me and Lepris dash away from the creature's line of sight as Dante's shield dissolves in black fumes and he himself disappears in a cloud of dark smoke, only to reappear a dozen feet away from the seemingly invincible enemy: the human summons his small projectile-throwing weapons and starts attacking our opponent from afar, but not even this seems to faze the monster. Upset, the man in black then teleports up close and attempts to strike the creature from up close with his enormous scythe before it can retaliate but, shocking both me and him, the weapon's blade breaks into hundreds of small pieces upon contact, completely nullifying his offensive “What the-” his cursing is interrupted by a volley of crystal shards that pierces the entirety of his chest, causing Lepris to cry in distress thinking the human might have died from that direct hit; his sadness soon turns into confusion though, as the human reappears before us an instant later, apparently unscathed “Alright, this is stupid: that thing is far more buffed than it should be... sure, I've got a lot of other weapons, but that thing seems impervious to all sorts of damage. At this rate, we're screwed.” he comments, his tone becoming slightly more nervous.

“Wait, you're alive!?” Lepris inquires, surprised “How...?”

“You don't want to know.” he cuts the shape-shifter short, before adding “Anyway, as I was saying, I did feel something while near that thing: lots of emotions that just seemed to... not belong there, in some way. Maybe those are what's powering that stacked abomination.” so my intuition was correct after all: that creature has indeed stolen Lepris's feelings... and is also using them to empower itself! There has to be something we can do to stop it... and yet, how can we do so if we cannot even hurt that darn thing?

“ **Struggling is pointless, just give up already... I know I did.** ” the monster mutters as it begins shooting crystal shards at us again, forcing Dante to summon his shield once more: I do not like playing defensively... but what can we do, in all honesty?

Anyway, this is not good in the least: nothing we have tried so far has worked, and there are very few options left... either we are not strong enough to handle this thing (which would surprise me, considering both my own and Dante's skill levels) or there is some secret strategy we need to employ that we have yet to figure out... either way, we need to act fast before we are reduced to pincushions.

“I'd like to remind you that, even though I can keep this thing up for a decent amount of time, this shield isn't indestructible.” the human pressures me to find an answer to this deadly riddle, but I cannot find any... the last thing I can think of is using my 'Blazing Inferno', but what if that does not work either? If that were the case, then defeat would be more than assured... I cannot risk it, not right now at least! Think, Red... there has to be something you can do!

“Greetings.” I hear a feminine, stainless, resolute voice whisper from behind us: I turn around only to find an elegant, though somewhat stiff human lady, staring at us from a few feet away... with an even more inexpressive look than Dante himself. The young woman is shorter than the rest of us but just as slim as Lepris in his rabbit form; she has very long (so long it reaches her knees, in fact), straight, green hair adorned by a simple black hairband and green, lucid eyes that do not look any more alive than Dante's. She is wearing a plain white t-shirt complete of... what I believe is called a 'tie', which is coloured with green and black alternated lines by the way, a short black 'miniskirt' or whatever the name of that piece of clothing is, long black trousers and a pair of tall black boots; tight green ribbons envelop her palms, ankles and neck, most likely to further enhance her figure. Overall, this woman looks... gorgeous, incredibly gorgeous: I cannot help but feel somewhat... attracted to her, for some reason. Still, that is not my biggest concern at the moment: just how did she enter the 'Astra-grid'? And why is she not surprised at the sight of both me and Lepris? Is this not the first time she deals with the... extraordinary?

“You appear to be experiencing quite a lot of trouble, caused by poor strategic choices: if you want, I can help you organize a better battle plan.” the lady comments, making us all raise our eyebrows “Would you like me to join the fray alongside you?” she inquires, looking at me specifically for whatever reason.

“Who are you, and why do you want to help us?” Dante inquires, probably too focused on keeping the shield intact to draw his blade on the girl who so mysteriously approached us.

“My name and my purpose are irrelevant at the moment; what _is_ relevant is that I am here to help you defeat this 'Primal', and you do not look capable of dealing with it otherwise. You can choose whether to accept my aid, and most likely win, or not, and most likely lose: the choice is yours. I can wait, but I doubt you can.” she is being both polite and blunt at the same time... and the lack of any sort of intonation in her voice is so strange it is causing a chill to run down my spine. Also, did she just call this monster a 'Primal'? What does that even mean? Is she not going to explain that as well?

I do not know whether we should trust this woman, who is so unwilling to explain us her motives or even give us her name... and yet, we desperately need some kind of change to happen in order to win! What should we do?

“Alright, I guess you can help us...” Lepris speaks for the three of us, causing both me and the other human to look at him concerned “I don't know how you plan to help us, but... my friends need help, and maybe you can give it to them. So please, help us!” even now, he is more afraid for our safety than his own... I feel so bad for him that every word he utters feels like a knife stabbing me right in the heart. I promise you, Lepris... as soon as this is all over, I will make up for all of this.

“Thank you: I will attempt to be as useful as possible.” she says as she pretends to move away from our cover: before doing so, however, she is stopped by the same Lepris, who decides to introduce himself to the woman for whatever reason “My name's Lepris anyway: nice to meet you.” she remains idle for a few instants before replying “I already know that, just like I already know Red and Dante's names: still, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” she still relents in telling us her name... why do so? Moreover, how can she know the names of all three of us? Perhaps she was eavesdropping before and we simply did not notice her?

Either way, the lady moves away from the shield and exposes herself to the monster's attacks, though no crystal shard comes even close enough to graze her; the monster, at least from what I can see, is strangely ignoring her for whatever reason... I would like to know why is that, but right now I can only be thankful for the girl's apparent safety “Initializing all systems.” she thinks aloud as a whole lot of ethereal screens appear out of thin air in front of her, floating around randomly as she fiddles with them all, clearly busy “Battle mode, initialized. Now readying to scan the enemy: deploying 'Pixies'.” the woman throws what appear to be three small balls of light from her right hand, catching me unaware since I did not know that she was holding them during this whole time: the balls in question, although their appearance from afar does remind me of the fairies I read about in fairy-tales, are actually mechanical in nature, as I can clearly see in the few seconds they spend floating near me. Even though they possess realistic miniature wings that allow them to fly unhindered, the small lines that decorate their polished azure surfaces clearly do not belong to an organic being. The small devices immediately fly towards the 'Primal', who ignores them the same way it ignores the lady who summoned them, as small, seemingly innocuous beams of light appear from somewhere on their surface and begin inspecting it from head to toe, almost searching for something... which they eventually find, as the girl points out “Scan complete. Primal 'F.E.A.R.' recognized as 'Solitude'. Threat level: high.” 'Primal F.E.A.R.'? So my initial theory was correct... but this monster does not seem like a 'F.E.A.R.', does it? It looks and behaves so different from all the others... but I can see some analogies in that regard: both this exemplar and the others are viciously attracted to human feelings... and this one in particular is quite interested in Lepris, unfortunately.

“Weak points assessed. Battle tactic formulated.” the girls says as the small devices return to her and disappear in her right hand, never to be seen again “Now it's time to put it into practice.” does that mean she has figured out a way to damage this monster? Apparently, yes, since she immediately turns to me and advises “The 'Primal' is currently immune to all sorts of damage, both physical and magical: with your current load-out, victory through standard means is flat-out impossible.”

“We... already knew that, actually...” Lepris shyly points out, before inquiring “But there is a way to defeat that thing, right?”

“Yes, but you will have to do as I say.” she replies, earning our undivided attention “The creature seldom uses an attack that begins with it summoning a huge crystal: this ability requires a lot of power to be activated though... power that can be used against its user if you are quick and precise enough.” I recall the 'F.E.A.R.' used that attack once before... I ask how she expects us to do so, to which she replies “A small, precise and powerful projectile should be able to shatter the crystal into pieces before the 'Primal' has even a chance to fire it: the recoil coupled with the immediate loss of power should be enough to weaken the 'F.E.A.R.' for a few seconds at least, allowing you to harm it.” this does sound like a sensible plan... perhaps victory might be easier to obtain than we think!

In response to the lady's speech, Dante summons a new weapon from his incorporeal arsenal: a monster of a weapon, similar in facet to the other smaller ones he used up to this point but much longer and heavier to carry... I know not what this one does, but I need not know it to understand I do not want it to be pointed at me “Alright, are 'dot-three-hundred Winchester Magnums' good enough for the job? Because I got smaller rounds if you want.” I did not comprehend a word the human just spoke, but apparently the lady did as she immediately answers “I do not possess much data on guns... but the size appears to be approximately correct, so we can proceed with that if you are ready.”

“Wait, how the heck did you summon a freaking sniper rifle out of mid-air?” Lepris asks, almost shocked at the mere sight of Dante's weapon “You also summoned a scythe and two machine-guns as well, now that I think about it... where do you keep all this stuff?”

“Technically, those are sub-machine-guns.” he corrects the rabbit, before answering his question... or rather, does not “As for where I keep this stuff... don't ask. Seriously. You wouldn't understand.” honestly, I do not know who between Dante and the lady is being more cryptic... but at least now I know how to call his weapons, so that is a plus.

“Then it is settled: Dante will use his weapon to break the shard, then me and Lepris will move in and deal the finishing damage.” I repeat once again, ready to end this battle once and for all: after allowing the lady to take cover behind a nearby monument, just in case the fight gets too close to her, Dante de-summons the shield as we attempt to do all in our power (from vocal taunts to weak ranged attacks) to prompt the 'F.E.A.R.' to use that attack once again.

“ **It's meaningless...** ” the 'Primal' finally mutters as a big shining crystal begins forming in front of it; “Now!” I hear the lady shout as Dante points its weapon at the huge rock, ready to blast it apart “Eat this.” I hear him whisper as a small, sharp object comes out of the weapon's short barrel, accompanied by a loud noise that hurts my ears for one second: the projectile hits the shard right in the middle, causing it to shatter in a million edged pieces right in its caster's face, damaging it immensely... the woman's plan is turning out great! Now, time to finish what we started.

Me and my companion run towards the monster as I unsheathe my sword and he readies his ears to strike, hoping our next attack will be enough to reduce this 'F.E.A.R.' to nothingness: “ **Blazing Sword!** ” “ **Furious Flurry!** ” we both shout as we hit the creature with the best techniques we can think of, breaking a whole lot of the crystal mass that forms its body and causing it to cry in pain for a short while; however, before we can deal any more damage, the 'Primal' releases a wave of dark energy that takes us by surprise and shoves us back, its body already regenerating to some degree “ **Useless... it's all... useless...** ” it mutters as it releases another similar wave, though this one does not hurt us... instead, it causes a small army of goblin-like and other, bigger and slimmer 'F.E.A.R.'s to somehow appear a hundred feet or so behind our own group and dash towards us, ready for combat. Needless to say, the battle just got much, much more difficult.

“Dammit, I wasn't expecting more company...” Dante groans as it summons its 'sub-machine-guns' and prepares to engage the approaching fiends, coupled by me and Lepris; however, just before they can reach us, a feminine voice above us shouts the words “ **Meteor Kick!** ” as a familiar figure drops at high speed onto the incoming 'F.E.A.R.'s, disintegrating a few of them upon contact and blasting the others away with the help of the small blast wave that resulted from the impact: after the dust that the impact caused disappears, I realize the woman who saved us is none other than Fortune herself, wearing clothes that are... incredibly, even lighter than Lepris's, a quite angered expression on her face.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lepris inquires, but the woman does not answer his question kindly “Yeah, sure... the real question is: are _you_ okay!? You literally randomly bashed me and your friend over there, then ran away like a freaking crybaby and made me run all over the freaking city just to find you! I'm so going to kill you once we're done!” she has most likely not been informed of the shape-shifter's current mental status, but before I can do just that she quickly changes the subject “Anyway, I don't know who of you had the 'smart' idea of starting this party without me, but I sure as Hell am going to punch him in the face after we're done!” after striking fear in both my and Lepris's (and maybe, even Dante's) heart, she engages with the remaining 'F.E.A.R.'s by herself, punching and kicking her way through the enemy forces and preventing them from even coming near us “I can handle these guys by myself: you focus on the big one!” to be honest, I am quite glad she is venting her rage on those monsters and not on... well, us.

“Everyone, let us try again!” I say as I attempt to make the 'F.E.A.R.' use the same attack it used just a few minutes ago: we eventually succeed and once again the monster is left defenceless allowing us to hit it once more... but, just like before, the monster immediately pushes us back, regenerates its body and summons more enemies for Fortune to deal with.

“Alright then.” Dante summons his shield back and invites me, Lepris and the lady to seek refuge behind it... although I am getting quite bored of this passive style of fighting, I cannot afford to take risks in this moment, so every break I can get from fighting has to be treated like a festivity; as soon as we all reunite behind the safety of the man's floating defence, he grimly speaks to our newly-appointed tactician “Explain me why, even though we did everything to perfection, that thing's still alive.”

Instead of giving out a normal answer, the woman gives us a full explanation “'Primal F.E.A.R.'s are made out of the negative emotions of thousands, sometimes millions of people... but they only target specific individuals who possess a large quantitative of them: upon finding a good enough target, they snatch away their positive emotions by escalating the negative ones, basically turning them into an empty husk. In our case, the 'Primal' appears to be using the emotions it stole from its victim as a means to 'repair' itself, so to speak: as long as it has those inside of its body, it can potentially keep on fighting forever... especially if those feelings are very strong.”

“And why did you not tell us all this before?” Dante asks, perplexed.

“I thought one attack would have been enough to terminate it before it could recover: evidently, I was mistaken. I wanted to tell you that trying again would have been pointless, but your haste prevented me from doing so.” the lady excuses herself, before continuing “Unfortunately, I do not know how to recover the stolen emotions: as far as I know, they could be lost forever.” this is definitely not good... even if we do win this battle, Lepris might live without emotions for the rest of his life!

“This is bad... what can we do?” Lepris asks, scared and confused “How can we defeat that thing if it keeps using my own emotions against us?”

“I'll tell you how: stop acting like a pussycat and be a man for once!” the lifeless body of a 'F.E.A.R.' flies right by us as Fortune makes her way towards us, quite mad for whatever reason “Alright, I thought I could've let you boys handle things, but once again it falls on me to do your dirty work. You and I, Lepris, need to talk. Right. Now. Dante, go deal with those pests for a while.”

“You shouldn't talk with me like-” the miss squints at the man before he can finish his thought, causing him to sigh in defeat and comment “Seriously, not even my girlfriend looks at me like that... fine, but the shield won't last long if I'm not near it: whatever you want to do, do it quickly.” he teleports towards the ever-incoming monsters a moment later, leaving us four alone behind a now slightly unstable shield. Realizing her presence is unnecessary, the lady apologizes before returning to her cover behind the monument, allowing us to speak privately.

“Alright, what the Hell is wrong with you?” Fortune says as she presses the shape-shifter chest with her right index finger, still quite angered with the poor rabbit “I may have only seen you for a couple of minutes, but the way you're fighting right now is just plain disgusting: where the Hell did your fighting spirit go?”

“I think that's enough.” I stop the woman before she can further insult my friend with such ridiculous accusations “Lepris might have lost his emotions to that 'F.E.A.R.', but he is fighting just as hard as everyone else is! You have no right to-” before I can finish my sentence, she forcibly closes my muzzle with both her hands, a gesture that is irreverent even for her.

“You don't want to win, do you?” she turns to face my friend, who does not seem to know how to answer “Before striking the 'final blow', you hesitated. Both times. Something's blocking you, and I need to know what is.” is she... actually serious? I was too focused on my own attacks to look at what Lepris was doing, but... to imply he might not want to win is just absurd!

And yet... Lepris is not truly standing up against the woman's claims: after a while, he meekly responds “It's not that I don't want to win: I do, I want you all to get out of here safely, but...” he is almost on the verge of tears, actually... but now, even I want to get to the bottom of this “I... I can't fight like I'm used to with these... thoughts in my mind...”

“What thoughts?” I inquire after pushing the woman's hands away from my mouth “Is it related to those things that 'Primal' said before? About you... being alone, about me using you as a tool?” perhaps I was wrong... I should not have delayed the help Lepris needed so much for so long.

“Yeah...” he looks downwards, almost ashamed of himself “I've met a lot of people in life... and a whole lot of them were bad. Those that weren't bad, well... they eventually left me. Each and every single one of them. And... knowing that you're gonna go back to your world in less than a week, knowing that you're never coming back... it makes me wonder why should I even bother staying with you. What's the point of creating a bond if it's gonna be torn down soon anyway?” Gods, I did not know he thought that way... but he is wrong! I do not plan to abandon him... not at all!

“Look Lepris...” I tell him, prompting him to turn to face me “It is true, I will have to go fight for what I love by the end of the week, but... know that I do not plan on leaving you, absolutely! You are more than a comrade: you are my friend, my closest supporter... the only one I can rely on; no offence, Fortune.” she shrugs my remark away, allowing me to continue “Listen, from what I have seen, you are not living an exactly 'happy' life... you deserve so much more than what you currently have. So, how about you come with me to Draconia? You will be able to do anything you wish, as long as you like it and are good at it; if you do not want however, we can work something out with Karma and find a way to meet up every now and then. Nevertheless, I would never leave you: our relationship is one of the most sincere I have ever had... and only a handful of other people can claim the same.” the rabbit begins crying quietly, while the 'Primal F.E.A.R.' in the background attempts to suffocate a cry of pain: there must be a correlation between the two things... I have to press forward!

Fortune seems to have realized the connection as well, since she immediately inquires the young man “Is there anything else that stresses you? If you want to speak about something, now's your chance!” he hesitates a few seconds, but then something inside him snaps and he decides to give us the whole, bare truth “Look, I know this is random and all, but I just... I just don't understand why you helped me when you did, that's all: when I was attacked by those thugs, you saved me even though you didn't know who I was, without asking me for anything in return... I just can't understand it. Why would you help someone who you don't even know... if you don't have a reason behind it? That's why... that's why I began thinking you did it only because you wanted me to help you, because you needed someone to drag into this whole inter-dimensional mess... I never brought it up because I feared I was just being melodramatic, because I began to realize you were better than everyone I've met so far, but now... now I need to know why you did what you did! So please, tell me this isn't true!” he is pouring out every last bit of despair he has in his soul... but I sense hope within his words! He is fighting the devil who possessed him, and he is winning! Now, it is my turn to help Lepris, just like he did with me.

“Alright, allow me to be frank: you are correct, to a certain extent. When I first arrived in this world, I was just as empty as you: the only thing keeping me alive was the promise of revenge, of salvation... but my likelihood of success would have been next to none were I to lack something as simple as a bed.” he turns away, saddened... but I reach for his face and force him to look at me in the eyes “But that's not why I saved you: when I found that park, last night, I thought of sleeping on a tree branch or something like that... but then I saw a man, lonely and defenceless, get beaten by some nasty people, and I would have never forgiven myself had I chosen not to intervene. In that moment, the thought that you could have helped me in some way did not even graze my mind: the only thing I wanted to do was saving an innocent man from those criminals... nothing more, and nothing less.”

“So, you only saw me as a random person, who deserved to be saved just because?” he turns away once again, but I correct him once more “Perhaps at first sight I did... but then, I got to know you better: we conversed together, we ate together and, most importantly, we fought together... we became comrades, companions, friends. I immediately recognized the potential within you and stopped regarding you as simply 'one amongst many', but as 'one above many': you are different from most other people I have encountered, and I am glad I got to know you more as a person.” Fortune steps in right after me and adds “Same goes for me: when I first met you, I only wanted to know you because Karma told me so... but then we talked for a bit, and I realized you are a much more sensible individual than most. People like you are rare where I'm from... that's why I stood up for you when those idiots tried to bully you: I can't stand seeing someone like you not fight for yourself, because you're worth much more than you give yourself credit for. I bet Dante would say the same, were he not so busy digging holes in those monsters over there.”

“What? Oh, yeah, sure.” the man responds from a distance “Could you go a little faster, please? That shield won't sustain itself for much longer, and these guys are multiplying by the second.” Dante's irony knows no bounds, even though I believe he agrees with what Fortune just said... oh well, I am sure he will have more than enough time to get to know Lepris after all is said and done.

“R-Really?” Lepris's face is now soaked in tear drops, but the expression he has on his face is one of... gladness, perhaps even happiness “Y-You're not kidding, are you?”

“Of course not.” I dry his face to the best of my ability as I smile to him, showing a kind of sincerity that I rarely show anyone “You are the sole reason why I want to help humans in trouble whenever I see them, after all: they remind me of you, in a sense... I want to believe that within them, beneath their stone-cold facades, lays a personality as beautiful and unique as yours. So please, stop thinking that I do not care about you: in truth, I could not care more.” uh... maybe I should rectify that statement a bit, before he gets the wrong idea “...Platonically speaking, of course. I mean, I could never love you like _that_ , but... you understand what I mean.”

“R-Red...” he whispers as his eyes regain that light they had before “I-I'm sorry for doubting you, really... and you too, Fortune... now I know I'm not alone... n-now I know I never was!” his self-inspiring words cause another cry of pain from the monster as a white light pierces its chest from within; a small, yellow, heart-like object flows out of the creature's body through the newly-opened wound and flows towards Lepris, entering his body upon contact, making him shudder and close his eyes for a moment: when he reopens them, they are as bright and yellow as the midday Sun “Now I know what to do... I have to fight! And that 'F.E.A.R.' won't stop me this time!”

 

[ **2-05 – Justice: to do what is right -** “Battlefield: Storm” from Etrian Odyssey IV by Yuzo Koshiro, Atlus (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCZjnuS6ESc>)]

 

Without any hesitation whatsoever, the rabbit dashes past the shield and towards our enemy, who begins targeting him directly with his powerful crystal shards, seemingly in distress “ **No... this can't be happening... give up! Give up! GIVE UP!** ” the shape-shifter gracefully dodges the first ones, but he could get hit if he is not careful... I decide I should aid him a little bit, and use my 'Volcanic Barrage' to skilfully destroy the incoming projectiles before they can get even remotely close to Lepris; as soon as my friend enters melee range, the monster attempts to hit him with a quick punch aimed for the face, but the rabbit quickly parries it with his left ear before unleashing a flurry of kicks and 'punches', if we can call them that, with his agile legs and ears. After toying with the 'Primal' for a short while, the shape-shifter sends his opponent flying backwards with a well-placed kick in the belly, breaking a decent amount of its body in the process “Take that, you stupid joker! Your words can't hurt me now!” I thought the 'Primal' was immune to any form of damage unless priorly weakened... but that no longer appears to be the case! Thanks to Lepris fighting back against the fears that creature embedded in him, we can finally strike back!

“Wow, that was cool!” Fortune shouts marvelled as we forfeit the safety of the shield and get ready to engage, her eyes shining in awe “I knew he could do it... he just needed a little bit of confidence to show his true potential!” that's exactly what I was thinking: as long as someone believes firmly in something and their goals are pure and noble, they can achieve anything! Now, we just need to end this battle once and for all!

“ **This can't be happening...** ” the 'F.E.AR.' shivers as it somehow gets back on its feet “ **You... why can't you just die!?** ” the creature immediately shoots out a fast, small crystal shard towards Lepris, who is not looking in that direction at the moment; “Be careful!” I shout as I run in his direction before pushing him away from the projectile's trajectory, saving him at the cost of making us both fall on the ground, momentarily helpless. Another crystal is shot at us, but Fortune positions herself between it and us and demolishes it with one mere kick, saving us from... well, maybe not death, but a whole lot of pain at least.

“I don't know what the Hell you're supposed to be, but you're going down anyway!” the miss shouts as she taunts the monster into attacking us, a tactic that succeeds in mere instants “ **You... you're all deluding yourselves... why won't you surrender and die peacefully?** ” the monster prepares to use its highly-devastating attack once more, but the crystal gets instantly destroyed by a well-placed bullet from very far away: Dante somehow managed to sneak in one fateful bullet while fending off the ever-incoming hordes of monsters, and quickly turns away to continue his job whilst yelling “Now! Finish that thing!” the same words, more or less, are shouted by the unknown lady, who is inciting us to end this battle from behind a monument; knowing what must be done, me and Lepris nod at each other before charging at the 'F.E.A.R.' yet again, our two minds momentarily operating as one.

“ **Blazing Sword!** ” I shout as I swing my sword at the weakened creature, destroying large chunks of its edged body as it emits increasingly louder cries of pain and feeble insults; before the 'Primal' can push me back as it did once before, however, I slash him vertically from bottom to top, sending him flying upwards: my friend, on the other hand, immediately jumps way higher than I ever saw him do as his body begins burning (literally) of a bright yellow light.

“ _ **Let's dance!**_ **Super Bunny Hop!** ” Lepris shouts as he swiftly dives towards his enemy and hits it with a powerful dive-kick... then teleports above and strikes once more, then again from the right, from the left, even from below... from literally every direction! I do not recall him ever being able to teleport though... and, in fact, Fortune soon comments “He's moving so fast even I'm having trouble looking at him... this is fantastic! Oh, he's going to be so much fun to train...” oh, I did not know she planned to train him... that sounds quite good for him, actually, except that the way she spoke would make me fear for my life were I the one she was referring to... weirdly enough I cannot help but be worried for my friend's safety.

And so, after being sent flying in a hundred or so directions only to be thrown in another just a few instants later, the 'Primal F.E.A.R.' is finally hit by a final, much stronger kick that sends it flying towards the big monument in the centre of the plaza, causing the former to sink into the obelisk's compact walls and the latter to fall apart rather quickly, crushing what is left of the monster below its massive weight.

“Take that, you freak!” the rabbit yells as it drops to the ground, a contented expression on his face “It's dead, it has to be dead... right?” he turns to face us, hopeful; “You did fantastically well, Lepris: I am quite proud of you.” I smile at him, making him a hundred times happier “And even I do not believe that thing can still be alive after what just happened.” I then point out, hoping this will not turn into another nasty surprise.

“Hey, check this out.” Dante nonchalantly calls us from a dozen feet away: apparently, all the 'F.E.A.R.'s he was fighting suddenly turned to goo before his very eyes... mere moments after the 'Primal' got crushed by the crumbling monument “So, you actually did it. Congrats.”

“Indeed.” the lady comments as she approaches us, just as serious and inexpressive as she was before “I still monitor a faint signal from beneath the ruins... but it is so little it can hardly be considered a threat. All other 'F.E:A.R.' signals have been incapacitated and are no longer a threat. All things considered, this mission was a huge success: good job, everyone.”

 

As the smoke caused by the fall of the obelisk hastily disappears, I can see the 'F.E.A.R.' rising from the debris, tired and defeated; its body is now once again the exact same as my friend's and the crystals that once emerged from it have either broken down to nothingness or entirely disappeared... still, it does not seem like it wants to keep on fighting. Perhaps the battle truly is over.

“ **How...** ” it mutters, sad and sore “ **How... how could I... lose...?** ” it inquires, confused.

“You lost because you were alone, and I wasn't.” Lepris responds vehemently as he turns to face first me, then Fortune, then Dante: his gaze... it reeks of passion, of trust, of hope “You're right: I was alone, and I've suffered a lot because of some people... but that doesn't mean things won't ever change! In fact, they already did! Now I know... I've got lots of friends too: Red, Fortune, maybe even Dexter... and I guess Dante too, now. I may be weak by myself, but... as long as I fight for what is right alongside my friends, I won't ever lose!” I truly am glad Lepris finally got rid of his doubts and anxieties, and I show him my newfound respect and admiration with a tough pat on his... no, that is not what he wants most, is it? I should give him the gift he truly desires, as a sign of gratitude for his trust in me... even if I am not used to show this kind of 'affection'.

Although it stings my pride quite so, I... hug him, and strongly as well since I am not used to hugging people; my embrace proves to be far too tight for the man, and he instantaneously begs me to let him go, prompting me to do just that as I blush embarrassed. Although I am quite mortified by what just happened, Lepris seems to have appreciated my gesture very much... and immediately returns it as well: his embrace, although it only lasts a few seconds is much different from mine... it actually feels a lot like _hers_... it feels good, it truly does.

“ **I... was mistaken, then...** ” the monster mutters on its knees, his expression shifting into something... happy and sad at the same time “ **I thought you were alone... but you clearly aren't... maybe, you do have a chance at happiness, unlike me... I just wanted a nice word, a kind smile, a warm cuddle... but...** ” Lepris is looking sadly at the 'F.E.A.R.', almost sorry “Ah, screw it.” without warning, Lepris dashes forward towards the monster and, shocking me once again, hugs it tightly between his arms, holding him like a mother would hold her child “It's alright... I'm here with you now. I won't let you go.” the creature is just as surprised and confused by Lepris's demeanour as we all are but, after hearing his reassuring words, it finally lets go tears it had long suppressed as it thanks him “ **Thank you... now, I can finally rest in peace...** ” as the red light of the now dying Sun breaks through the thick layer of clouds and shines down on the 'F.E.A.R.', whose body is now rapidly disappearing into nothingness, it leaves Lepris its last words of departure before disintegrating entirely “ **Goodbye... friend.** ”

As the shape-shifter lets his arms fall down, I wonder whether he needs some more emotional support or not... however, my fears fade away as the rabbit immediately gets up, punches his open left hand with his right fist and shouts, determined “I feel good! Very good!” well, maybe everything did end well after all... even for the villain. I never thought I would ever sympathize with a 'F.E.A.R.'... especially one as vicious and powerful as that one was. I guess there really is a first time for everything.

Meanwhile, we start transitioning from the 'EmotionGrid' to the real world as the rain that plagued the field for the whole battle dies down: the damages the battle caused to the environment heals in mere seconds as the monuments are restored and the ground is rid of all the leftover crystal shards... wait, where did all the mosaics go? The ground is now entirely grey, but I swear it was not like this before... what happened to all those beautiful figures?

“Hey, what are you guys doing over there? You've already spent way too much time in boring sentimentalisms!” Another familiar and very annoying voice coming from behind me impolitely interrupts my thoughts and disturbs the rest of my group as well: we all turn around and, surprising only my friend Lepris, the cat named Karma is right behind us, still wearing their usual long robe and smug expression “So you actually beat that monster: I shouldn't have expected anything less from Dante and... the rest of you!” they chuckle, but their humour is definitely not to my liking.

“Uhm... who are you?” Lepris inquires, confused; “Karma's the name, memes my game: it's a pleasure to meet you, you little gullible rabbit!” they offer my friend their hand to shake, something he does after hesitating for a few seconds... but they retract it as soon as they make contact, a pained expression on Lepris's face “Ouch! A shock trap, really?” what is he talking about? Apparently, about a small button-like gadget the cat is wearing between their thumb and the rest of their fingers that they immediately remove, a huge grin on their face “Oh, if you fall for something so simple, then I can't wait to unleash my whole arsenal on you, boy!” understanding Karma has become even more difficult than before... but, if I were in a position to do so, I would gladly punch them in the teeth in this very instant.

“Is there a reason why you're here or do you only want to ruin everyone's mood?” Dante asks, perhaps even more annoyed than the rest of us; “As a matter of fact, I actually _do_ have some things I have to do here.” the cat responds, but before they can explain they look around and notice “Wait, wasn't there a girl here with you?” surprised, we start looking for the mysterious lady as well, but cannot find her: she disappeared while we were not looking, and now is nowhere to be found.

“Strange, I didn't notice her go away... I didn't even notice her come, to be honest.” Dante comments, making the cat silently wonder something “Hmm, weird... anyway!” they turn towards Lepris, their expression having turned into a much calmer one “I already congratulated you for your splendid victory, so let's move on to the second point: I found this bag laying around a random plaza while... 'walking around', so to say, and I thought I'd give it back to whoever it belonged to.” they show him a bag I recognize as the one containing the shirt he bought some hours ago... wait, did he really lose it? It seems like it, since he is now hugging it like a long-lost treasure “Oh, I've missed you so much... I promise, I won't abandon you ever again!” Gods, this is so... no, I do not want to think that of my friend, at all.

“As for you...” they turn to face me, holding something else between their paws “I found this yesterday at the clock tower shortly after you left, and it looks like it belongs to you; I should've told you before, I know, but... well, let's just say I forgot.” they hand me a golden pendant resembling the face of a mighty dragon, its eyes made out of shining red rubies... wait, I recognize this ornament!

“This is Sol's pendant, is it not?” I ask, and receive a positive answer from the white-eyed being “Indeed: this is everything she has left to you, so I figured you might want to hold on to it... so, do you want it?” I nod as I grab the pendant: Sol's stern expression comes to mind as I clench my fist around it, but it only lasts a second... despite not finding the ornament very fitting for someone like me, I wear it around my neck nevertheless and suddenly feel just a little bit better about myself and my mission.

“Well, that's all I had to say and do: right now, I'm kinda busy figuring out what these 'Primal F.E.A.R.'s are and who the heck was that woman... maybe I'll need some extra help, and I already know who to call. For now, you're all free to do whatever you wish... yes, even you Dante: you didn't expect this, did you?” they turn around and wave goodbye at all of us, still smirking for whatever reason, before rapidly fading out until nothing of them is left. Am I childish for wanting to be able to teleport as well? It seems like a very useful power to possess, and almost everyone seems capable of using it.

“Well, I know what we're going to do now, Lepris.” Fortune says as she grabs him by the arm and begins dragging him away from me and the other man “You said you wanted me to teach you a few things about fighting, and what a better time to start than now? Besides, I need you to pay me back for ditching me at the garden before: that was rude of you, very rude...”

The young man does not appear to be as... enthusiastic as the lady, and is attempting to flee from captivity, in vain “No, please! I just want to go home and rest!”

“Oh no dear, you can't escape me now: after pulling off such a complicated move there at the end, there's no way I could let you go that easily... I want to see just how far you can go without breaking your neck! Stop whining and get moving, you dork!” the rabbit eventually stops fighting back and starts heading with the miss, but then suddenly remembers something and asks her to stop for a second: he grabs some keys from his pants' pockets and throws them at me, saying “These open the door to my house: you'll probably get home way earlier than I will, so get in, close the door and wait for me, alright?” I nod, but remind him that I do not know his house's address; he replies by sighing and asking Dante if he knows the area and, after receiving an... uncertain response, he decides to communicate him his address anyway, which the man repeats twice to make sure he does not forget it. A few seconds later, the rabbit is once again caught by miss Fortune and forced to walk (or better, run) against his own will, but I have a feeling he will enjoy the strengthening experience... somewhat, at least. It is a shame I could not have a good conversation with my friend, but I suppose there will be enough time to do that over the course of the week. After all, I have more than enough time to do everything... at least, I think so.

“Alright, I think I passed by this place some time ago on our way here: do you want to go now or is there somewhere you need to go to first? I don't have any idea on how to spend this 'free time', as Karma called it, so don't worry about time restraints.” the human says, to which I immediately answer “Do not worry, just bring me home: there are a few things I need to check, just to make sure.”

 


	11. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Nothing's more entertaining than learning new things... but sometimes, you could have lived without them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My God, this one took way longer than I had expected... mostly because of both me being sick for most of the past week and because of a sudden increase in laziness. So, please excuse me for this... well... inexcusable delay.
> 
> Unfortunately, this chapter is very similar to chapter nine, meaning there is little to no action and it's here more to drive the plot forward than anything else. There are a few cool moments here and there though, so I hope you enjoy it nevertheless! I swear the next one will be as suspenseful as it gets...
> 
> (Oh, and before I forget: I actually changed Dante's first battle theme a long time ago. I think the new one goes along nicely with the second one, which will be unveiled in due time.)

Thankfully enough, the return trip was much less... chaotic, so to speak: without the necessity to go excessively fast or break any laws, my voyage on Dante's black mount was substantially calmer... which was a bit of a shame, since I loved that feeling of the wind slashing through my face like a blade. If I had not been so focused on saving my friend, I could have enjoyed the experience a lot more... not that I regret doing what I did, of course: I just wish to have another chance to feel that sensation again, perhaps in a much less... crowded and dangerous setting.

Still, we eventually arrived at Lepris's house and (since Dante truly did not know what to do next) we both climbed the stairs all the way to his apartment... afterwards, we entered it thanks to the keys he gave us and closed the door as he instructed before briefly wondering what to do next.

“It's so warm inside... definitely much better than outside, do you not think so?” I ask as I take off my jacket and leave it next to my bed; I look at the man, who seems reluctant to take off his clothing... or even his sunglasses, which I believe are pointless to wear indoors: I politely tell him he is more than welcome to take those off, but he refuses to do so, claiming “Sorry, but I rarely take off my coat... and you shouldn't stare into my eyes for too long: trust me on that one.” I seriously doubt that, were he to take off his sunglasses, I would waste all my precious time staring into his eyes... but I decide, more for purposes of politeness than anything else, to humour him and let him do as he wants.

“So, what were you planning to do here? You said you wanted to check something out, right?” the human inquires, just as calmly as ever.

“I did?” I ask in return, only to remember that I did want to do something as soon as we arrived; kind of embarrassed, I reply soon afterwards “Oh, you are right: I guess I forgot for an instant, but now I remember. I wanted to learn a bit more about the recent happenings in this city, in case I ever get a chance to do something about them.” the strange deaths that happen every day... this 'Anteros' terrorist organization... I cannot simply ignore them, but I have to know what I am facing if I want to stop them. After all, you cannot defeat your enemies until you know who they are... or so my father taught me.

“Huh, interesting... and why come here instead of, I don't know, going to a library or something like that?” Dante inquires, slightly raising an eyebrow.

“Lepris told me about this 'Internet' thing, and I wish to try it out.” I respond, hoping there is some way I can get access to the mystic archive that he mentioned from his home... he said he could use it from here at least, so there must be a way I can as well.

“Again, we could've just went to a library... but alright then: there must be a computer or smartphone we can use from here...” he says as he turns to look around the room, before finally saying “Oh, good: there's one over there.” he points at a flat, white, rectangular object standing in a corner on the kitchen counter; we grab the object and take it with us on the sofa in the middle of the room to use. The human somehow opens the 'computer', which is apparently divided in an upper section, comprising a huge screen similar to the ones the mysterious woman from before was fiddling with, and a lower one, made out almost entirely of small buttons with letters, numbers and symbols attached to them.

As the human notices a small, black bitten apple drawn behind the upper screen, he immediately sighs as he comments “A Mac... what a casual...” he then presses a weird-looking button on the rightmost, uppermost corner causing the screen to light up and show an image the same apple superimposed over a black background; after a while, the image turns into that of a grey canvas with two small white rectangles in the middle of it: one of them has Lepris's name written on it, while the other is blank.

“Did Lepris tell you his password?” Dante asks, prompting me to inquire what a 'password' even is; instead of answering, he takes my answer as a 'no' and proceeds with his 'plan B' “Alright, we'll have to do this the hard way.” a small, box-like device appears in his right hand, which he connects to a small opening in the computer's right flank through some sort of black thread “I had a friend of mine make this for me: it can bypass most standard security measures, so we just have to wait and see. Hopefully it doesn't blow up like the first time I used it.” I admit, I am quite concerned Lepris might kill me were I to destroy his property... but the human connects the two gadgets before I can stop him, so I decide to go along with his plan despite the risks. Some black dots slowly appear on the previously blank rectangle, seven of them in fact, before finally stopping: since the device has yet to blow up, I figure out Dante's expedient has worked out perfectly.

“Alright, we're in.” the human claims as he presses a button labelled 'Enter', causing the image on the screen to shift to a... picture of Lepris, in his rabbit form, surrounded by many, many humanoid animals and monsters in various dumb poses; to be honest, their expressions are kind of creeping me out... and their bodies and fur do not look real in the least. They all look like they are dead inside, despite their cheerful expressions. This picture truly is... weird.

“ _Furries..._ ” Dante hisses as other, smaller images appear over the big one, each of them accompanied by a short white text that is probably their name; in order to stop looking at the big odd picture, he rapidly moves the cursor over one resembling a blue compass and taps the small rectangle twice to, as he immediately explains to me, 'open it': a white canvas appears before us, and he incites me to tell him what, exactly, I want to look up.

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After a tough battle against a mortal enemy, I managed to help Lepris overcome his fears and anxieties and show him that I... that we all love and respect him for who and what he is. We then went our separate ways: he went with Fortune to train himself, and I went with Dante to learn more about our enemies...**

 

“First off, let us look into the recent deceases that have been plaguing this city.” I tell him, hopeful “If they are indeed murders, there must be some kind of correlation between the victims... correct?” he nods positively and begins writing a few words in another blank rectangle: a few blue phrases appear on the screen, and he clicks twice on the one that he believes is the most 'interesting'.

“This is a memorial of all the victims so far: here's hope we find out something more about them.” he says as the screen changes once more: this 'memorial' thing is showing us the names, ages, occupations and other small things about these poor people, along with a rather realistic picture of themselves... and, at least at first sight, there appears to be little correlation between these humans. From children to teenagers, from simple students to heirs of huge 'corporations', from poor upbringings to wealthy ones, it appears as though these deaths are entirely random in nature: although it is true they are all below twenty-five years of age, no other clues tie these people together. We do learn, however, that the deaths began more or less two weeks ago, starting from a very talented singer who died just before one of his 'live performances'.

“This is as much information as we're going to get from this website, and it's not helping us a lot, is it?” Dante comments, annoyed “I am sure something binds all these poor souls together... but it definitely lies elsewhere, I can feel it.” I reply as we take some time to look up other similar 'websites', but we do not learn anything useful from any of them. Disappointed, we decide to halt our research for now and focus on something else.

“Alright, what else did you want to look up?” the human inquires; “I want to know what this 'Anteros' criminal organization is: these monsters have killed dozens of innocents and, from what I have heard, this is not even the first time they did something like this... and it probably will not be the last. I need to know what they truly are after if I wish to stop them.”

“Terrorists? Ah, good old memories... yeah, I'm familiar with their kind.” he comments almost happily as a new batch of blue phrases come on screen. This time, he chooses to open an 'article' from a website called 'Wikipedia', which states the following: “Anteros is an active terrorist organization operating in Britain; its headquarters are supposed to be located isomewhere in the capital, according to governmental sources.”

“Alright, it says here it's been active for... two months? Seriously? Have they really caused that much damage in so little time?” Dante asks rhetorically as he scrolls down the page, before adding “Apparently their flashiest operation was the first one: they broke into a prison, killed some of the guards stationed in it and let all prisoners escape; all escapees were found and arrested, except two which are still missing... odd, isn't it?”

“How so?” I inquire, not understanding where the human is getting at.

“Do you honestly expect that a movement whose goal is to 'return the world to its original state' would actually bother freeing some worthless criminals... just because?” he asks in return, before answering his own question “No: these guys knew exactly what they were doing... they freed everyone to create a massive distraction, and in the meantime...”

“...They rescued the only two people they were actually interested in!” I finish Dante's own thought, before asking the human to find out more information on these two individuals. The research that followed was... equally disappointing. We only manage to find two pictures and a small biography for each one: the man on the left looks young and sleek, what with his short blue hair and charming smirk, but his fashion style leaves much to be desired; the woman on the right, on the other hand, looks more or less like Fortune... except her skin is as black as the night, her hair is purple instead of black and her clothing, although somewhat revealing as well, is more 'mystic' than it is appealing.

“The first one was both a professional e-sports player, which is way too complicated to explain, and a professional thief: using his public image as a facade, he became as rich as a small nation before getting caught and sent to prison. The second one was a street fighter, and amassed quite a fortune by defeating other battlers... both in and outside the arena: she eventually started hitting people for fun, which eventually led to her being jailed. I can't see any connection between the two, other than they both look like huge idiots... for one reason or another.” half of the human's words are foreign to me, but I understood the overall message... I think. Still, the lack of information on either topic I wanted to research is quite disappointing... but at least now I know more than what I started out with.

“So, is there something else you want me to research?” the human asks, just as frustrated as I am.

“No, not really... I think this is enough for the time being.” I reply, trying not to sound excessively defeated “So, what should we do now?” I ask, unsure of what to do whilst waiting for Lepris to show up.

“Maybe play some video games?” I suddenly hear Karma's voice coming from behind us, almost making me fall from the sofa in the process: their shining eyes gaze at me cheerful from behind the couch, a relaxed expression on their face “Oh, please! I know I can be creepy, but your reaction really offended me!”

“Yeah, sure.” Dante replies, not at all believing the cat's remark “Anyway, why are you here? Weren't you supposed to find out more about that 'F.E.A.R.' from before?” he does have a point... perhaps they already finished their research, just like we did?

“I was doing just that, until... I grew bored, and decided to leave everything to my assistant: I'm sure she's doing fine on her own... after all, I didn't choose her specifically for nothing.” they chuckle amused, but they still manage to come off as creepy; meanwhile, they make a large black box appear in their right hand and three black sticks in the other before asking “Sooo... Wii Sports?”

 

Unsure of what to do next, we both decided to join Karma in what appeared to be a simulated sword battle between unrealistic figures inside Lepris's TV screen: learning the rules of the game, which involved throwing your opponent off a platform and into the sea below by attacking them repeatedly, was quite difficult at first because I thought I needed to strike my opponent directly with it and not the air in front of me, but eventually I became a master at it. I was not initially thrilled at the idea of simulating sword fighting instead of fighting for real, but my scepticism disappeared as soon as I saw Karma's 'Mii' ungracefully fall off the edge and sink in the stormy waters beneath our arena.

I think I won roughly sixty-percent of all the matches we had, thanks to my skill with the sword; Dante, although apparently quite adept with a sword himself, was not as good as me due to his distaste for this sort of games and Karma... well, let's just say a chicken would have used that stick way better than they did. Only an infant could think that flailing wildly over and over again in hopes of hitting something could be a good idea.

“Oh, come on! I was so close!” they scream as they throw their stick on the ground, furious after losing yet again; “Just like the last twenty-something times.” Dante remarks, angering them even more “How come you haven't rage-quit already?”

“Oh, shut up you noob! You just can't comprehend my secret strategy!” they reply aloud as I distance myself from their heated argument.

“Neither does the game apparently, since you keep losing.” the human replies, as cold as ever; before the cat can unleash their suppressed fury, something starts ringing inside Dante's coat: he grabs his phone and puts it next to his ear, before starting a conversation with someone “Dante here... yeah, we're having fun I guess... no, I'm serious... anyway, how are you and that dweeb doing?” I have a feeling he is speaking with Fortune... but I decide to keep that to myself, as interrupting now would be quite impolite “...I understand. Alright, give me a minute.” he ends the conversation, but keeps staring into the phone's screen for whatever reason as he explains “Your friend finished his training session with Fortune, and she asked me to bring him home since he's too tired to come here himself.”

“Gods... that training must have taken a real toll out of him...” I comment, the image of Lepris literally in pieces before the demonic woman quickly forming in my mind “So, are you going to bring him here on your steed as well? Because that would take quite a while, even by your standards of quickness...”

“Just for the record, that thing's called a 'motorcycle'; secondly, based on the description that psycho gave me, the poor guy can't even stand on his two legs any more... I guess I'll have to bring him here the old fashioned way, even though he'll probably faint as soon as he sets foot in here.” the human answers as he waves goodbye and disappears in a cloud of smoke.

“I should probably go too: it's getting awfully late, and I have to start preparing myself for the future! Goodbye, dear prince: try not to die tomorrow, alright?” the cat chuckles as they fade into nothingness, leaving me only their ominous words to keep me company... which I could have gladly lived without, to be frank.

Dante reappears in the middle of the room a second afterwards, holding an agonizing Lepris between his two arms “Quick! Grab a bag, or something like it!” he nervously shouts at me as he gently lays my friend on the couch; the expression on Lepris's face reminds me very much of... oh Gods, this is not good! There must be a bag or something like it near here... and, in fact, there are plenty of them in the kitchen corner, made out of a white, light and seemingly not very expensive material that is just perfect for this necessity! I bring the bag to Lepris, who immediately takes it away from me and begins puking his soul into it, almost breaking it in the process; after a minute spent disgusting both me and the human, the shape-shifter ends his disgusting torment as he hands the human the bag, which he hesitantly accepts with an 'Eww...”

As Dante proceeds to hastily drop the bag in the nearest trash can, I sit next to Lepris as I attempt to understand what could miss Fortune have possibly done to make him feel so awful “What did Fortune do to you? You look more dead than alive: what happened to you?” he is so beat he cannot even answer, just breathe heavily... but that does not prevent Dante from answering the question in his stead “Actually, the vomit was... kind of my fault...” I turn to face the man, blazing fire burning in my eyes “I'm sorry, it's just what happens to everyone who fast-travels with me... but he's definitely handling it better than others. I only felt this kind of sickness once, and I perfectly remember how it feels like... so, once again, I'm sorry. Hopefully it won't happen ever again.” Lepris does not appear to be too angry with the human, despite what he just said, so we all silently decide to forget about this... incident and return to his current condition.

“Skyscrapers...” he finally mutters, albeit with some difficulty “She... made me... climb... skyscrapers...” oh my... that sounds rather difficult, even for someone such as myself “...Then we fought... while falling... from said skyscrapers...” that's even worse, and apparently there's more “...And after that... she made me punch... and kick... the skyscrapers!” edifices certainly do not look like optimal punching bags... is that lady crazy? She cannot be sane if she forced my friend to go through such nonsensical training!

“Well, at least she didn't break you entirely...” Dante grimly remarks before reassuring us both “Relax: you'll be fine... just go to sleep and you'll fully recover by morning... probably. Hopefully. Well, at least you'll fight much better than before, that's for sure.” he then makes as to leave, for whatever reason.

“Are you going somewhere?” I inquire, to which he answers “I sense an increased number of 'F.E.A.R.'s in the 'EmotionGrid', most likely because of the time... maybe I can do something about them before going to sleep.” almost as if knowing exactly what I was going to say, he immediately adds “I know you want to come fight with me, but you're still visibly fatigued from that battle earlier... and your friend's not looking too good either. You should stay here with him, and rest while you can: I'm sure tomorrow will be just as tough as today was... if not even more.” after muttering those words, he leaves the room in a cloud of smoke. What a character... but at least he is on my side, if anything else.

I turn to face Lepris, who has given in to tiredness and is now silently sleeping on the couch: his enormous yellow eyes do not look just as big when they are closed, and he definitely appears to be... way less intimidating when fast asleep. I cannot allow him to sleep on the couch however, much less seated, so I gently sneak my arms behind his shoulder and under his legs and pull him up: I then slowly can carefully carry him to the bed, where I drop him off. He slowly slides under the blanket of his own volition, but I presume that is more of an automatic reflex than a spontaneous gesture... oh well, there are more important things to worry about anyway: even though the bed is quite big, I cannot simply sleep together with Lepris... it seems as though I will have to sleep on the couch, despite how uncomfortable it may sound.

And yet, as soon as I lay down on the sofa's unfamiliar fabric, I quickly fall in a sleep as deep as the night itself...

 

_The words my father spoke were as silent as the empty halls of the castle, and their meaning was as useless to me as a sword to a dead body: I clearly stated I wanted to be left alone to mourn in my room... but I was but a child, and clearly my father was getting tired of having to deal with my selfishness. It was about time something rekindled the flame within my heart._

_“Red, this is Sol from Thundaria, your new retainer.” I finally dared to listen, and my heart beat out of rhythm, tremendously upset: I turned to face what was before me and saw her for the first time... she was just a child at the time, only slightly older than me, and yet her eyes were far colder than mine... it was clear she had seen things no infant was meant to see, just like me._

_My first words to her were... less than ideal, to be frank “I do not require a retainer! I can look after myself just fine! And most importantly, I can certainly do without the assistance of... one of your kind!” my father angrily attempted to stop me, but Sol stood between him and me and begged him to let me finish... and surprisingly enough, despite the apparent difference in both age and rank, he listened to her... but I did not care, I was just glad I could tell her the precise words I wanted to use “You thunder dragons are despicable and untrustworthy... criminals and murderers, that's what you are! It's because of you gold-scaled beasts that... that_ she _...” I could not even end the insult, as I immediately fell to my knees and began crying like the kid I still was... what a disgrace..._

_And yet, amidst the darkness that enveloped my eyes, a hand reached out for me: hers. She sat next to me and admitted, in a rather well-composed tone that could not communicate the sadness she surely felt within “You are right: Thundarians truly are beasts, criminals and murderers... it is because of them that I lost everything. My family was killed, my house plundered and my possessions stolen... all that I have left is my life , my name and my burning hatred towards those monsters...” I turned to face her, and her almost evil eyes pierced my soul like a million daggers “You and I are more alike than you can possibly imagine... which is why I can understand you more than anyone else. I understand your pain, your hatred, your desire for revenge... but now is not the time to focus on neither of them.” after a brief pause, she added, even more stern than before “My name is Sol, and that is all you will have from me: that is all I have left, anyway. I pledge my life to you, My Lord: I swear to help and defend you with my life for as long as I have breath within my lungs.”_

_And that was how I met my retainer: at first I felt almost... oppressed by her presence, but soon I began feeling better as we grew closer and closer, just like friends do. Eventually, we became inseparable... despite her best attempts to keep our relationship purely contractual. Truly, if it were not for Sol, I would have drowned in despair a long time ago..._

 

“Hey, wake up!” I hear a familiar voice shout annoyingly in my sleep... Lepris? I hear it again, more insistent “Come on, we're gonna be late if you keep this up! Wake up already!” I decide to awake, if only to punch the man who so rudely interrupted my beautiful dream in the face... however, as soon as my eyes meet his own and recall the events of the day prior, I decide to forget about it and focus on whatever he wants to tell me. After all, I should have gotten up on my own a long time ago for sure...

“Excuse me, what are you talking about? What are we going to be late for?” I growl, still only half-awake; “To the convention! I talked about it yesterday when we went shopping, remember?” to be honest, I do not ever recall speaking about such a thing... Lepris must have noticed my estranged expression as he immediately sighs “You weren't listening, were you?”

“Unfortunately, no.” I have to admit, quite embarrassed “So, what is this 'convention' thing you want to... attend?” I inquire, unsure of what the rabbit has in store for me today.

“I'll explain it on the way there.” he says as he points me to the only table in the room: a superb breakfast comprised of more eggs, sausages and an assortment of peculiar stuffed breads called 'sandwiches' awaits me on its surface, stimulating my hunger merely by looking at it “I'm pretty sure none of us ate anything last night, so I prepared a bigger breakfast to compensate for it... I already ate my part, so you can eat the rest if you want.” he needs not tell me that twice: I immediately jump out of bed and almost tumble before reaching the nearest chair, ready to finish this mixture of delicacies as quickly and, uh... as elegantly as possible. I must not forget my manners, especially in front of my friend... I swear this place is making me more mundane than I am comfortable with.

 

“So... we are going to a gathering of... animal lovers?” I attempt to make sense of the words of the shape-shifter as we proceed towards our destination; the rabbit nods for the umpteenth time, slowly growing impatient of me and my... problems at understanding his explanation “Technically, yes: it's just a bunch of people who really like animals... and animal-human hybrids... and dress up like them at these gatherings. It's not that strange, I swear!”

“It is for me: making dresses out of the pelt of the animals and monsters you killed is a common practice between us dragons, but wearing fake pelts of fake animals to look like an animal yourself is... unheard of, to put it lightly.” and would probably be enough label you a madman... in the best scenario; perhaps it's best I do not mention this to Lepris, however.

“I know, you dragons are not as socially advanced as us humans, but try to keep an open mind! I'm going there because there are a few people I want to see again, and possibly others I want to meet... and there could be some other otherkins in disguise, just like me! Plus, nobody's going to realize we're... different for the rest of the day, thanks to this convention.” so that's why we can walk around in our real forms: because of this gathering taking place, we can look like humans in disguise without fear of being recognized by the general population! An ingenious idea... though the perspective of visiting a rally of madmen is definitely not a positive one.

A few humans turn to face us as we begin heading down a particularly busy road, but most if not all of them just sigh and pretend not to see us when we pass by: the shape-shifter's plan is working outstandingly well, so at least that's a plus... hopefully things will stay this way until we reach our destination.

“See? I told you it was going to be fine!” Lepris comments as we pass another shop full of TVs, all showcasing the same old woman from yesterday reading today's news “Surprising the entire nation, the series of mysterious daily deaths that started two weeks ago just as mysteriously ended today.” surprised and confused, I urge the man to stop walking and listen to whatever she has to say; she soon adds “Nobody knows whether this is a sudden stop or if it's just a short break, but as a matter of fact the strange syndrome that claimed dozens of victims forgot to do just that yesterday: the police searched the city far and wide, but nobody died of the odd symptoms that link all other victims. After the terrorist attacks from yesterday afternoon, we are all relieved to see that no more unnecessary blood has been spilled...” the lady goes on and on, but I already learned everything I needed to: from the looks of it, the inexplicable deaths have stopped! But how? Just now I remember that I did not go searching for the source of these deceases yesterday evening as I promised myself to, but I scold myself less harshly knowing that my forgetfulness was not punished by destiny.

“Oh, that's cool.” Lepris says before adding, somewhat sad “Oh, and I've also learned about... the other explosions.” oh, right... those. I had forgotten to tell Lepris about the truth behind them, but evidently he did some research of his own earlier this morning “It's... kinda sad knowing some people died because of those... criminals, but...” he turns to face me once more, a more hopeful expression on his face “We saved some lives the other day! Because of us, some people didn't have to die... because of us, some people now have another chance to live! If you hadn't forced me to come with you, I wouldn't have had the strength to intervene... but now, I think I have it! I'm gonna help everyone I possibly can, just like you do every day! I'm gonna help everyone... because that's what needs to be done, right?” frankly, I did not expect Lepris to change as radically as he did overnight... but I welcome this change nevertheless! It seems this newfound determination of his has greatly increased his confidence in himself and in others... and that is a wonderful improvement over the past! Now, onto putting it to good use...

“Anyway, sorry for... exploding on you like this all of a sudden: I just felt like saying that, nothing more and nothing less. The place we're looking for should be nearby, so why don't we go back on track and start looking for it?” he ends his own argument, and we hastily return to our journey...

 

This... place sure is big: atop a set of stairs with more than fifty marble steps stands a huge beige palace that, Lepris explained me, hosts various conventions and reunions all year-long... the name of this place is 'The Domino Hotels', but he says it has been a long time since someone actually slept in this place. The entry lobby is quite big for hotel standards... it's so big, in fact, that a glass 'elevator' thing stands right in the middle of it (which reminds me I have yet to try riding one... perhaps today is the day I do?), restlessly taking visitors up and down and allowing them to leave only when near one of the various suspended walkways that connect in a cross-like fashion the four sides of the immense room. The floor appears to be covered by a large brown rug, the walls are brownish and made out of the same material that most walls in this world are made out of and the ceiling is shaped like a glass pyramid, allowing the light of the Sun to come in the room but not the heat it holds within... it's truly fascinating.

Numerous people, most of them dressed in those 'animal costumes' Lepris spoke about, are happily chatting or hugging (for whatever reason) all over the place, and very few actually bother looking in our direction as we enter the room: I expected some kind of reaction from these individuals... but I certainly did not expect them to shrug us off with a mere 'Nice costumes!' before returning to whatever they were doing. Are they serious? Can they really not tell the difference between real fur and scales and common fabric? I mean, Lepris's eyes are very big, of course, but they should be able to tell the difference between static ones and moving ones! I am almost tempted to give away my cover, just to mess with them all... but common sense forbids me from doing it, and rightly so. I decide to follow Lepris's clue and lay low, doing only as little movement necessary in order to not unsettle anyone.

“Alright, what next?” I ask, already feeling quite uneasy.

“I dunno... the first minutes are always the most awkward...” he responds, smiling embarrassed... indeed, this getting far too awkward. I do not understand what my friend wants to do at this 'convention', but if something does not happen immediately I might just lose my sanity...

And, incredibly enough, something does indeed happen: someone walks through the entrance behind us, someone unusual... someone who is definitely not wearing a costume. The... woman looks like a tall, slim white bird with a short black beak, luminous black eyes, powerful white wings and short white hair: she is wearing a sleeveless white shirt, a blue short jacket and light blue trousers... she is also holding an outstanding amount of paintings of various sizes within her hands, and it appears as though there is more of them inside the huge black backpack she is carrying on her shoulders. As I look at those paintings, I realize I have already seen all of them somewhere else... oh Gods! That cannot be!

I rush to the woman's aid and help her carry a part of her goods, followed by Lepris soon afterwards, who seems to have understood as well the 'uniqueness' of the lady before us: as the lady expresses her gratitude and I recognize her gentle, yet imposing voice, I ask, suspicious “Is that you, Merle?”

The lady immediately turns to face me with wide open eyes, almost scared someone actually recognized her: it takes her a few seconds to ask in return, just as suspicious “Red?”

 


	12. The Bird and The Hypergoddess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "History has a habit of repeating itself... and that's not always a good thing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter's finally out! I wanted to expand more on Merle's personality and backstory, but sadly I could not do that very well... perhaps I can make up for it in the upcoming chapters, who knows? =3
> 
> One thing's for sure: today we introduce a new character, one that I reworked considerably since the last time it appeared in my stories both in physique and abilities... I am sure you will like her just as I do! Balancing every character's presence in every chapter is getting rather difficult, but I am sure I will work something out... or rather, I will have to: either I do that or this novel fails, and I cannot afford the latter to happen.
> 
> Also, due to the upcoming holidays, the schedule will be put on hold (again... TwT) until the 6th of January: until then, there are plenty of things I wish to work on... and lots of games to play as well! So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this new chapter... and, of course, Merry Christmas to you all! =3

We helped Merle carry her surprisingly heavy weight all the way from the entrance to a place called the 'Artist's Alley', located just beyond the entry lounge on the first floor: what would otherwise be an immense empty grey area is, apparently just for today, full of stands and booths of all shapes and sizes selling everything from art works to toys and even books, though the latter are quite rare; upon reaching an empty one, she asked us to deposit everything near the counter, explaining that this one was hers and that she would have proceeded to organize her goods later.

“Thanks for the help guys, I... really appreciated it.” she thanked us, still shocked from this unexpected meeting.

“Do not worry: I was just behaving like a true knight is supposed to... and Lepris here was imitating me, I suppose.” I joked, causing my friend to get a little angry before realizing I was merely jesting; after regaining his composure, he introduced himself to my acquaintance “I'm Lepris anyway: nice to meet you! Are you a friend of Red?” the dove immediately shook her head and corrected him, blushing slightly in the process “No, we barely know each other... we met yesterday afternoon, but we only spoke for fifteen minutes or so. We're not really friends... nice to meet you too, anyway.” I suppose she was being correct, at least on a technical level.

I decided to skip any other unnecessary introduction and jump straight to the important questions, which lead to me inquiring “So, what are you doing in... this place?”

“Oh, you know... just making business, as usual: I figured out I might be able to sell more if I'm in a place full of animal lovers, especially since most of the subjects I draw are either animals or ferals anyway... which is why I rented a little booth and prepared myself for this big day! I won't return home until I make some good cash!” she surely was confident in herself... and quite enthusiastic as well, judging from her joyful expression; after a while, she added, in a much more controlled tone “Speaking of which... you're a feral as well, aren't you? Can't say I'm surprised but... wow...” a 'feral'? What was that supposed to mean, I wondered?

I was about to ask just that when Lepris, who figured everything out before me, jumped in front of me and inquired, hopeful “A 'feral'? Is that how you refer to... people like me and you? Like... shape-shifters?” Merle sighed annoyed, but kindly replied “That's how we call ourselves, yes... I think there are some of us who like to use a different name, but feral is the general consensus. At least we managed to agree on something, for once...”

“ _We_? There are more of us?” Lepris inquired ecstatic, almost jumping enthusiastically at the perspective of meeting more of his kind; the woman once again sighed like she probably did countless times before and commented, defeated “Oh boy, here we go again...”

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After learning a bit more about the problems in this world that I wish to solve before leaving, I finally allowed myself some sleep after a truly tiresome day. Now it's Tuesday, a new day full of exciting possibilities: it is my duty to make the most out of it... even though I do not know exactly how...**

 

Apparently, Lepris and Merle are not the only existing otherkins in this world: at least from what she told us, there are supposedly a hundred more coexisting in secret with their human cousins within this nation's borders... and roughly a dozen of them are hiding in this very city. The dove was unable to tell us since how long have ferals existed on this planet: just that they prefer to hide, even from themselves, and act as normal humans in fear of being persecuted and hunted to extinction... which reminds me that, were we to mistakenly blow our cover this instant, their worst fears would become reality... and we would be responsible for it. That kind of puts a lot of pressure on you, does it not?

“As for me, I try to make a living as a street artist... but you already knew that, didn't you?” Merle finishes her explanation and turns to face me “Sorry for not telling you the truth yesterday: I had a faint suspicion you were a feral, but even if you were... well, let's just say I learned to stay away from other ferals. As far as I've seen, most of them are jerks anyway...” that's... something important to note down, I presume. I have an odd feeling Lepris and Merle are not the only otherkin I will ever meet in my sojourn here, so I should know how to proceed in case I meet someone who is not as... sympathetic as they are.

Anyway, I should get back to our conversation: all this day-dreaming is surely making me look like an idiot “Oh, truth be told I was reluctant to tell you the truth as well, both because I was afraid my theories were incorrect and because... no, never mind that.” if I were to tell her that I was (and still am) afraid that I could pull her in the same spiral of madness I am currently embroiled in... then I am sure the situation could only worsen.

Perhaps it's for the best I keep shut on said argument, especially since I am not entirely sure that's the truth... in the meantime, I decide to make a simple correction to her sentence “Also, I am not exactly a feral: I am a dragon, son and grandson of dragons and heir to a kingdom of dragons from another-” Merle's expression makes me realize from the beginning a short answer will not be enough... which is why I take some time to explain her summarily who I am, where I come from and the reasons behind my presence here; after I am done explicating everything I need to to her and after allowing Lepris to give his own version of the story, the avian finally replies, calm “Alright, I believe you: you definitely don't look like you're joking, so... either you're for real or you're both lunatics, and you don't look like the latter. Cool stories, anyway: I doubt mine is as interesting as yours.” perhaps not to her, but to a foreigner like me every story is worth listening to.

Despite my desire to keep conversing with my acquaintance, I am afraid we cannot spend too much time here doing nothing: me and Lepris must do whatever he needs to before finally leaving and Merle should probably start reordering her things while she still can “Anyway, perhaps it's for the best if we leave you be, at least for now: you still need to set everything up after all, and I doubt we would be of much help. I am sorry for cutting this conversation short, but we might be able to return to it later if you want to take a break from your shopkeeping activities.” I tell the lady, who waves at me friendly “No worries: I've had fun listening to you guys. Have fun at the convention!” after waving our goodbyes to the white bird, we leave her in solitude as we go exploring other parts of the building; sadly, due to Lepris having 'kind of forgot' the layout of the palace, we end up right where we started, at the entry lounge.

“Lepris, are you sure you are alright? You appear to be thinking about something else.” I eventually notice, to which my friend answers “Yeah... it's just that, before meeting Merle, I didn't know if there were other otherkin like me... but now I know there are, and I... well, I can't help myself but imagine what they're like: Merle surely didn't paint them in a good light...” I understand where my companion is coming from... but his conclusions are mere nonsense, and I explain him just that “What other '' are like should be of no concern to you: the only thing that should matter is how you want yourself to be, and nothing else. When we judge someone, we judge them based on their actions: not on the actions of others.”

“Yeah, 'Prince Charming' here is right: just because you're a dork doesn't mean everyone else is a dork as well, am I right?” Karma's sudden apparition behind our backs scares us both, even though we should have grown accustomed to the creature's nasty habits by now: the cat is still dressed the same fashion as yesterday, and his eyes are just as sharp and shining as ever “Anyway, jokes aside, how are you today? You definitely look much better than yesterday, that's for sure.” their tone is a bit more serious than usual, but there is still a hint of sarcasm behind their otherwise polite words.

“I'm feeling great, thanks.” the rabbit answers, unsure of how to behave in front of the cat.

“Why are you here, exactly?” I inquire, surprised “You do not seem like the kind of person who would enjoy such a loud and crowded place...”

“Because I'm not: I'm slowly dying of cringe inside. This convention is one of the most cancerous places I've ever been to, hands down: I'm only here to have some fun at the expense of others, and right now I can't even do that...” they answer as they grit their teeth, enduring some sort of pain I cannot understand... and that I do not wish to understand either.

“Alright... where are Dante and Fortune then?” I proceed to ask, wondering whatever those two powerful humans may be up to.

“Dante's here... I think. Last time I checked on him, he was in the bathroom, puking his soul into the nearest toilet... just like I heard your friend was last night: I don't think he's coming out of there soon enough... especially considering that every time he gets out, he has to go back in right away!” the creature laughs amused, before adding “As for Fortune, she's... awfully late: she still hasn't left her home, and I'm kind of worried something, or rather some _one_ , is preventing her from coming to work... I would check on her myself, if I weren't banned from ever stepping foot in that... _place_... ever since that time I made chocolate rain from the ceiling for three days. Her boyfriend's faces when he realized what was happening were priceless, that much I can assure you!” they truly do revel in others' distress... I cannot say I ever met someone as twisted and perverted as the entity in front of me is.

“Anyway, did you find out more about that monster that attacked me yesterday? I'm pretty curious to know more... especially in case something like it attacks me again.” Lepris asks, hoping to change the subject into a much more... manageable one.

“As a matter of fact, yes, I did... or rather, the person who I sent investigating did: I was watching some Youtube videos when that happened...” that's wonderful news to hear! However, Karma does not appear to be done talking yet “...Which is why I will have her explain everything to you instead: after all, I'm... not a very good teacher...” I cannot shake the feeling there is some other reason other than their mere incapacity to explain in detail, but I decide to stay quiet for the time being as to not upset them; meanwhile, the cat starts looking at the doors behind us, almost annoyed for whatever reason “Weird... she's almost never late: did something happen—oh, no, there she is. Almost right on time!” they point to a small, childish figure running towards the entrance as fast as it can, visibly fatigued.

As the person, who appears to be a young woman, approaches us quickly, she excuses herself in a childish, girly tone “Sorry, I know I'm late: this city's way bigger than I expected, and catching the right bus was a pain! I've had to ask for direction three times just to get to the first bus station! And the map you gave me was... well, unreadable: your calligraphy is the worst I've seen in my life!” I am not sure whether she is embarrassed or simply passive-aggressive, but there are bigger priorities at the moment.

As I inspect the girl from up close, I realize that she is indeed merely a child... and a rather frail one at that too: I do not know exactly how old is she, but she is definitely younger than anyone here present... although, when I first looked into her eyes, I had a weird sensation she might have been older than she looked; strange indeed, but that does not seem to be the case. The girl has lively, very small-looking pink eyes and only wears a white t-shirt with various pictures of pink flowers and hearts drawn on it and a pair of simple, blue jeans (other than a pair of simple brown boots, of course) despite how cold the air outside is: either she is quite reckless or she is just as impervious to the outside weather as I am... one of the two. Her most interesting feature, however, is most certainly her hair, which looks more like a beautiful painting than actual hair: a myriad of delightful pink and white flowers of different shapes and sizes is painted on the surface of her long, straight hair... the art work is especially visible from behind, but a small fraction of it can be seen while looking at her directly; overall, I believe it makes her look even prettier than she would be otherwise. Not only that, but she also wears a red circlet decorated with a luminous red rose resting atop her head, just slightly tilted towards the left, and a red, tied band of cloth on her right wrist. She reeks an aura of youth and positivity, but I cannot understand if it's real or if I am just imagining it... based on Lepris's own expression, I can almost certainly assume it's the former.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What's important is that you're here now, right?” Karma turns to face us and introduces the young woman to us “Her name's Felicity, and she's another one of my... collaborators: she's a prodigy child, a smart researcher, an expert negotiator... and a total weeb, but that's beside the point. She's going to help you in your future operations, just like Dante and Fortune.” oh, so that's how it is... quite interesting indeed, but it also raises some important questions: how could a little kid such as herself possibly be on the same level as the other two humans that work under Karma?

“Oh, are you Red and Lepris by any chance?” she inquires, surprised; after receiving a positive answer, the young woman adds, ecstatic “That's amazing! I should've guessed that by... you know, your bodies, but... it doesn't matter now! I've heard so many things about you from Dante, and I was really looking forward to meet you... and you look just as I imagined!” it's clear she would like to keep on talking, but she has to interrupt herself as she suddenly remembers the reason why she's here in the first place “Oh, that's right: I had to inform you of what I found out about these 'Primal F.E.A.R.' things you wanted me to research. I hope what I've gathered so far is enough...” she grabs some notes she was storing in her jeans' pockets and begins to read what's written on them to us “So, according to ancient sources, a 'Primal F.E.A.R.' is a unique variation of 'F.E.A.R.' and they have existed for as long as humanity itself has. They were born from the collective unconsciousness, precisely from the deepest realms of the human psyche, and they pretty much represent a very specific fear or anxiety shared by many people on the planet... which they also feed off of, but on a worldwide scale. They can be... or rather, they are everywhere at the same time and they hold immense powers compared to the other 'F.E.A.R.'s because of the shear amount of negative emotions that form them: however, attacks by this sort of creature are very rare... but it's important to note that, whenever they get aggressive, they always hunt down very specific individual targets instead of random ones... and their preys are usually much more susceptible to the fear that the 'Primal' represents than most other people. If one of them were to be defeated, which was thought to be impossible before... well, yesterday night, they would cease existing forever... unlike the fear they represent, which unfortunately cannot be erased from the minds of humans. Oh, and someone can only be targeted by only one 'Primal' over the course of their life, meaning that Lepris is theoretically safe from them for as long as he lives; I've also found out that 'Primal's have some degree of self-awareness and even possess a higher intellect, but both of them are very limited... and that's it, really. That's all I could find, sorry if it's not much.” perhaps the information Felicity brought us might not help a lot in battle... but that does not make it irrelevant and, in fact, only further helps us understand our enemy.

“Not much? What are you saying? You shared with us information that I doubt we would have been able to learn otherwise: for that, I must thank you. You should give yourself more credit for the hard work you do.” my praises have the strange effect of causing the kid to turn as red as my flames themselves and mutter some barely audible words of gratitude... either she is not used to this kind of response or she is merely shy, and I honestly cannot tell...

However, without any warning, her body suddenly stiffens as her eyes widen, almost as if she were scared by something “Oh no...” she says alarmed, just as the ring on my finger begins shining a dangerous light... a 'F.E.A.R.' attack in the early morning? This most certainly did not happen yesterday... moreover, where are the 'F.E.A.R.'s themselves? And why am I not feeling that odd sensation of uneasiness they always bring with them... is it because we are we still in the real world?

Karma must have realized it as well, as they ask aloud “Wait, where are all the monsters? Why can we still see all these hipsters?” they are probably referring to the people near us, but I do not have time to attempt to make sense out of their senseless ramblings.

Felicity seems to be more sensible to the 'F.E.A.R.'s than any of us, as she soon comments “There's a darkness nearby... whatever it is, it's not attacking us: it's attacking... someone else!” they are attacking an innocent civilian? Why would those monsters do that instead of coming for us? The answer to that question, at least for now, is the last of my concerns: we all immediately dash in the direction the girl points to, ready to save whoever might be in danger from the hollow fangs of those heartless monsters...

 

Felicity does not take long to bring us where we are needed and, in a few minutes, we are back precisely where we were just a handful of minutes before: in the middle of the 'Artist's Alley', not too far away from Merle's booth. Before we even reach our destination, we can clearly see a white winged figure fighting what appears to be a horde of 'F.E.A.R.'s of moderate size: I would like to scream I was going to help her, but it would not be very wise given that we are still outside the 'Astra-grid' and that she would not be able to hear me... I cannot say the same for everyone else, though.

Lepris appears to be rather confused, since he cannot see the enemy like the rest of us (Felicity included, apparently) can “Wait, why are we stopping? Where are all the monsters?”

“On a different world layer, as usual.” Karma answers, their usual sadistic grin almost glued to their face; they then throw a black ring to the rabbit, similar to my own in size but devoid of the rich dragon-like decorations mine has... it looks more like a common wedding ring than an enchanted tool, to be honest “Here, put this on: this should allow you to see the 'F.E.A.R.'s... I hope. The alternative is expensive eye surgery, and we don't have the budget for that... which is understandable, considering we cannot even afford some official artwork.” the cat begins chuckling between themselves, but none of us present seems to have understood the joke... except Felicity maybe, whose only reaction is a resigned sigh.

Anyway, as soon as Lepris puts the ring on and blinks a couple of times, he finally exclaims “Oh, no! They're everywhere! Merle can't handle them all by herself: we have to do something!”

“Why should we?” Karma replies, their grin widening even more “She's doing fine on her own... for now, at least. If you were to intervene, the battle would end much faster... and that would be really boring to watch, you know?” are they really saying what I am hearing? Are they insane? “Let's keep an eye on her, just for a few minutes: I want to see what she's truly capable of... and I think everybody else does as well.” they then add, amused; I admit, I too believe you can tell a lot about a person by learning their fighting style... but putting someone's life at risk simply to satisfy Karma's desire for entertainment is purely despicable!

“You cannot simply toy with the life of an innocent like this! This is utter madness!” I shout at them, miraculously not alerting any bystanders in the process.

In response, their grin widens even more, soon becoming as wide as their face itself... I am afraid they were expecting me to say this “Good thing you don't get to decide then: only individuals with incredible powers can travel between different layers of existence... and only those with an even bigger power can allow others to do so as well. Unfortunately for you, I'm the only such person who can do just that in this room: whether you like it or not, I'm the one who gets to choose whether to intervene or not... it might seem evil or selfish to you, but I frankly don't care. You'll just have to trust me when I say she'll be fine...” I have to admit, I truly do lack options in this situation... the only two positive things at the moment are that Karma does not seem to be upset by the fact I am attempting to go against their will and that they are not threatening to end our deal because of it either.

Lepris is shocked and is looking at me hopeful, expecting me to find a way to help Merle... but I am afraid we have no such possibility at the moment; unsure of what to answer or what to do, I turn to face the little girl, who is watching the battle intently, a determined expression on her face “She can do it...” she keeps repeating to herself, just barely audible to others “She can do it... she can win... I believe in her...” she trusts Merle... despite them not even being acquaintances? This child is definitely different from the ones I am used to... but perhaps she is right: the only thing we can do as outside spectators is to hope our champion triumphs over her enemies...

 

[ **3-01 – Limpid Sky -** “Light The Fire Up In The Night (P4 Side)” from Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth by Shoji Meguro, Atlus (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpM6wyE7Gx8>)]

 

I don't understand what in the world these creatures are, where they came from or even how they dragged me in this... alternate reality or something, but I don't need Sherlock Holmes to tell me these monsters are after me: I'd call out for help, but everyone else seems to have... disappeared... I just hope they're okay is all; plus, I doubt they'd really be of help... especially since they can't defend themselves like I can.

As long as I keep flying, the vast majority of these monsters, which resemble small goblins from D&D or something, can't even reach me: they just mindlessly follow me from the ground wherever I go, sometimes even launching themselves from the roof of nearby booths, vainly hoping to catch me. The problem are these freaking birds, who keep following me wherever I go: they resemble eagles or something, but they're much bigger than the ones you see on the Internet... and those huge fangs they've got for beaks aren't really a great sight.

I think it's about time I fight back: I grab my two fans from my jeans' pockets and look at them, making sure they're in perfect shape for combat. The right one pictures a beautiful prairie under the daylight, full of plants, animals and mountains in the distance, while the left is exactly the same, only under the moonlight... with these I can defend myself, I think. I've never really used them to hurt anyone, but... if there's one good time to use them, it's now.

I turn towards my flying pursuers and slash the air in front of me horizontally with my two fans, shooting a bunch of sharp white feathers at them in the process: the monsters don't have the time to dodge my projectiles, or maybe they just don't care about them is all, and most of them are hit by them and reduced to a gooey pulp soon after. I didn't think that would kill them, and honestly I don't even know whether I should feel sorry for them... but, in a situation like this, I can't afford to care! It's either me or them, and I can't die right now! I've yet to make a single dime from my paintings!

I stop for a second and begin flying towards the creatures, dodging every single one of them as they attempt to crash right into me: meanwhile, I manage to slice a few of them with my fans, killing them on the spot... all the others join them soon after, pierced by my feathers. For now, I'm safe... at least, it looks like it. All those little freaks are still gathering below me, desperately trying to reach me: they're technically harmless as long as I'm flying, but I can't keep this up forever... maybe it's about time I show them what I'm made of.

“ **Wind-gale!** ” I shout as I blow the air below me with my fans: a small tornado appears right next to the ground, sucking all nearby monsters into it and reducing them to goo a second later... there are still a few left, however, but nothing a second 'Wind-gale' cannot solve. Now, the coast is clear... well, not really: another wave of those little freaks is incoming on my position from the far corner of the room, but they're too far to be a threat... I just take my time to snipe them from afar with my feathers, thinking that nothing could possibly go wrong.

Obviously, everything goes wrong: before I even realize it, something explodes behind me... like a bomb full of really awful cigarettes or something. A disgusting cloud of greenish smoke engulfs me, and the poison it emanates enters my lungs before I can do anything about it... I suddenly feel sick, really sick. I try to keep on flying, to get out of the cloud, to do anything apart from falling to the ground like an idiot... but I can't, I'm too weak. As I drop helpless, I catch a glimpse of the monsters responsible for this: a group of small-looking imps standing on a nearby roof, holding what looks like poorly-made cannons between their arms, almost laughing maniacally as I plummet to the ground helplessly.

In a few seconds, I land on the ground: the fall could've been worse, I suppose... and my wings aren't broken, which means I could take off again if it weren't for this freaking poison... I don't know for how long it'll last, or if it'll even kill me.

Well, if the poison doesn't end me, those goblins over there surely will: they're still charging at me despite the losses they've suffered, and those rocket-wielding imps are surely approaching me from behind as well...unless I can recover instantaneously, I'm pretty much doomed.

Just as I think my fate is sealed and I close my eyes to avoid looking at my death, I hear light footsteps approaching me and a girl's voice reaching out to me “Come on, you cannot give up just yet! Don't close your eyes!” this voice... whose is it? I open my eyes, following the girl's command, and see that the person who's here with me is... a thirteen-year-old kid with bright pink eyes, beautiful pink long hair that extends down to her elbows and an expression that inspires confidence in me. Not exactly the azure prince in shining armour I had in mind... what is this kid doing here? Doesn't she realize she's in danger?

“Who are you?” I ask, but I quickly realize that that's not the right question “Never-mind that: I don't know how you got... wherever we are right now, but you need to run, now! Those monsters are going to kill you if you don't do as I say!”

“Don't worry, I can handle them.” they smile kindly as they turn to face the incoming monsters, who have... apparently slowed down their pace, almost as if they were just as surprised by this girl as I am “Trust me, like I trusted you. Run in that direction for ten feet or so: my friends will rescue you safely.” the girl points to a side-alley that is devoid of enemies... but I don't see anyone over there. Is she nuts or something? I don't know, she looks really confident and everything... but that poison really knocked me out, so I don't think I have a choice: I'll have to do as she says and hope for the best.

“Thank you.” I thank her, still suffering from that hit; “See you later.” she simply answers as she begins walking towards the monsters, calm and relaxed.

Hoping she'll be fine, I drag myself in the direction the girl told me to for a few seconds before a pair of invisible arms grabs me, and a both calm and reassuring voice comforts me “You got hit real bad... but don't worry: we got this.”

 

As Dante somehow pulls the bird from the 'Astra-grid' into our reality, I rush to aid her as well: she was downed the same way I was, and I can understand her pain more than anyone else “The poison only lasts for a minute or so: please, do not stress yourself too much until you have recovered.” the lady turns to face me, a vague expression on her face “Red? What are you doing here?”

“It's a long story.” I answer as Merle is left in Lepris's custody, who hides her behind a nearby booth and attempts to take care of her to the best of his ability; meanwhile, I turn to face the human in black, who suddenly appeared next to us while we were not looking “How long have you been here with us for?”

“Just arrived, and I'm already pretty uncomfortable.” he answers as he briefly looks at one human wearing a... dragon-like (oh Gods, can I even call that a dragon?) costume, before turning away disgusted and commenting “Gah, _furries_... remind me to kill Karma once this is all done.” he showed the same distaste for these 'furries' yesterday evening as well... I should inquire him about it later, perhaps.

“Ah, if only you could do that...” Karma replies with a chuckle, adding soon afterwards “You kind of went against my orders by pushing Felicity into the 'Astra-grid', but I can't really be mad now can I? After all, I'm sure that little weeb will prove to be as equally entertaining as that little birdie over there...” unbelievable... now that they have had their fun with Merle, Karma plans to do the same with Felicity! I know I already asked myself this, but just how twisted are they?

“Why are you not going to help Felicity? She cannot possibly fight those monsters by herself! At least let me go if you plan not to!” I suddenly lash out at the human as soon as I remember he can both enter and allow others entrance to the 'Astra-grid'.

“Nah, she can take them on by herself.” he calmly replies, confusing me quite so “What? Are you serious?” there is no way that child can fight those 'F.E.A.R.'s all by herself... or can she? Is she perhaps... stronger than she externally looks?

“I'm perfectly serious: she can kill them all, and in less than a minute... much less than a minute. Her fighting style might not be as mind-blowing as ours, but frankly I don't care: that kid's efficient, I can tell you that much.” efficient? There is no way she can hold such power within herself... and yet, the way those monsters are currently purposefully avoiding her, almost waiting for her to make the first move... maybe I truly was mistaken.

“So... you must be those 'F.E.A.R.'s I heard about...” I hear her talk to herself, in a much calmer and even colder tone than before “...You look hollow. You lack everything: a brain, a heart, a soul... you're like black holes, only existing to suck everything inside you. I'm not sure if that's a good enough reason to fight you, but... negotiating isn't really an option, and I can't allow you to hurt other innocents! So, if I don't have a choice, so be it!” as she gets in a battle stance, her hair starts moving on its own, gently moving left and right at random “ **Soul Clock!** ” she suddenly shouts as she tends her right arm to the sky... or rather, the roof above: a small, pink, glowing heart comes out of her hand and floats all the way to the centre of the room as the number 'one' followed by a colon and two 'zeros' appears below it, just barely big enough for us to see it. The number then quickly shifts to a 'zero' followed by a colon and a 'fifty-nine', then into a 'fifty-eight'... is that some sort of countdown?

 

[ **9-01 – Blooming Rose Blossom -** “Border of Life” from Scarlet Weather Rhapsody by ZUN (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlhxImY0WaY)]

 

“Now, try to hit me... if you can!” she taunts the monsters, who, apparently terrified by the 'clock' the young lady summoned, are no longer hesitating to attack her directly: however, just as one of them is about to slash the girl in half with its sharp claws, time appears to stop for a moment as she nonchalantly dodges the attack by side-flipping, causing everyone and everything, me included, to stop moving for a few seconds... after that, everything turns pink for a moment as she quickly slides away from her attacker, with time returning to its usual speed soon afterwards.

“What was that?” I inquire aloud, but before Dante can answer my question time stops yet again, forcing him to slightly delay his explanation “Felicity's very frail, so frail pretty much any attack would kill her on the spot: every time she dodges an attack at the last second-” the human is interrupted by the same ability mid-sentence, but immediately continues as soon as time starts flowing again “-She's basically fooling both death and destiny, and that sudden change of events-” after another pause due to Felicity dodging yet another attack, he finishes “-Causes fate itself to stop for a few seconds to recalculate its route, allowing her to move for a few seconds outside of time.” that's... unbelievable... and overly-complicated as well: how can a child as little as her be capable of such incredible sorcery? If I thought Dante's teleportation abilities were astoundingly powerful, Felicity's... I cannot even describe them!

However, judging from Lepris's and Merle's expressions, neither of the two are experiencing what me, Dante and... apparently Karma as well are: between a stop and another, he comments on the fact “I had a feeling you'd be able to experience Felicity's time-manipulating powers: there's something... different about you. Something unique. I haven't met someone like you in ages.” he chuckles, just as amused as Karma is, but for a different reason.

“Anyway, have you noticed the countdown up there? Look at it for a few seconds, and you'll realize why I think Felicity's extremely efficient.” the human advises me, and I do as he says: the countdown is now at less than thirty seconds from the looks of it, and as Felicity stops time yet again... the countdown keeps going nevertheless! Those few seconds she steals from time by dodging at the last moment are counted by the clock as well!

“See? Told you she's good: those few extra seconds always count, especially in short battles like this one...” indeed... but what happens after the countdown reaches 'zero'? I ask that to the human, who replies “You'll see soon enough.” that's not really an answer... but I guess I will have to accept it, for now.

Felicity's constant dodging, however, has in the meantime given her enemies a chance to gang up on her: she is now surrounded by enemies on all sides, and escaping now seems almost impossible; I tell this to Dante, who is surprised but not worried by how the events unfollowed “That's not a problem: just watch.” I turn to face the young woman, who appears to be unafraid of the 'F.E.A.R.'s around her.

“Try to catch me now!” she shouts as a pair of... pink, feathered, transparent wings sprouts from her back and she begins floating in mid-air, her wings only barely keeping up with her rapid movements: I do not know what's happening right now, but... it's clear she's floating, not flying. Those wings are just as fake as Karma's, even though these ones do not look like it.

I try to ask the human for explanations, but he refuses to say anything, explaining “That's not something you should know from me: if you'll learn it, you'll learn it from her.” I have to remind myself to ask Felicity for details later, then... I cannot understand if those wings are supposed to be a magical projection or if she truly is not human after all.

Nevertheless, as the young lady floats, she is attacked by the same imps that knocked out Merle, who attempt to suppress her with their poisoned artillery: by skilfully manoeuvring in the air, she manages to dodge all bombs before they can even explode and even flies between them all to humiliate them, causing the imps to shoot at each other in an attempt to bring her down... and somehow managing to kill themselves with their own weapons in the process.

I have a feeling time's almost up for the girl's enemies: a new squadron of flying avians appears out of nowhere and attempts to bring her down in a rather desperate fashion... but that only allows the girl to steal even more precious seconds as she narrowly avoids one, two, three... all the charges, one after another! I have never seen such a skilled air performance, even back in Draconia! She could teach my air troops so much... she could teach _me_ so much!

As soon as the countdown reaches zero following this last streak of dodges, the heart floating in the middle of the room starts glowing a blinding pink light as the girl turns to face it and shouts, very determined “ _ **I won't give up now!**_ **Salvation!** ”; her battle-cry echoes throughout the room as an incredibly powerful wave of pink energy is released from the very core of the floating heart, engulfing the entire room in pink and causing me to close my eyes for a few seconds at least as my mind is emptied of all superfluous thoughts...

 

When I finally manage to reopen my eyes, there is no trace left of the monsters Felicity was fighting just a few moments ago: it's as if they vanished in thin air in mere instants, without a clear clue as to where they might have ended up... or if they are even still alive to begin with.

The girl herself, on the other hand, is safe and sound and is calmly walking up to us with a bright smile printed on her face “So, what do you say? Have I bettered after all?” I think she is referring to Dante, who immediately answers, almost... proudly “Sure looks like it. Welcome to the team... again.”


	13. Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Doubts begin assailing your frail mind..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back. After a far too long hiatus, I have indeed returned. Hopefully we can resume a semi-decent schedule starting from next week, but I no longer plan to release my content on my Patreon three days before. In fact, I plan to delete it: no sense worrying about money when you struggle to get a few comments, right? Besides, I have bigger plans in mind for this series...
> 
> I made a few changes to past chapters, such as changing the names of most battle themes: more will come in the future as my writing skill increases and I feel like revisiting my old chapters, but for now that's all I am going to do. I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though I have yet to finish proof-reading it: I will finish doing so tomorrow, but I believe you can read this chapter as it is right now and still be entertained.
> 
> Have fun! =3

 

“Ugh, what happened?” Merle muttered as she finally regained full-control of her body and attempted to stand up, which she eventually managed to do with the aid of me and Lepris; “You flew right into a cloud of... poison, or something like that, and fell all the way to the ground.” Lepris replied, reminding her of the battle she had just fought a few minutes before “Thank goodness that girl was there: if it weren't for her, I... I don't know what would've happened.” he continued, laughing nervously. I, for one, would have never dared to speak so... brutally to a woman who just risked her life like my friend just did, but Merle did not appear to care about him at all “Is... is that kid okay?”

“Of course she is.” I answered, making her feel much better already “Felicity handled the situation brilliantly, and now you are both safe from harm. Now you just need to rest for a minute or two while your body recovers-”

“Wait! My booth! My stuff!” she suddenly yelled, shutting me up in the process: she then recovered completely in the blink of an eye and ran away from the small shelter we had found for her between two brown stands, evidently directed towards her own.

“How could she recover so hastily?” I inquired, baffled by her behaviour.

“Maybe she's afraid of someone stealing her paintings? I heard it happened plenty of times at these conventions before.” Lepris responded as we headed towards Merle's booth at a slightly slower pace.

When we finally reached her stand, we found her behind the counter, a relieved expression on her face “All of my stuff is still here... geez, that was close.” she told us as we approached her and inquired what had happened; it appeared as though Lepris had been right after all... until she sighed, both annoyed and slightly sad, and added “I wasted a whole lot of time though... I could've sold at least a few paintings instead of fighting those monsters.”

“Is that really the only thing you can think of!?” Lepris almost shouted, taken aback by Merle's words “Do you really value your paintings over yourself?”

“Of course not!” she replied, pretending to be shocked by the rabbit's accusations “If death were profitable, I would've died ten-thousand times already!” I admit, I chuckled upon hearing her joke... some may think laughing at dark jokes is quite inappropriate, but telling grim jests is one of the military's (and the nobility's) favourite sports back in Flammaria: needless to say, they usually involve dragons of foreign tribes... and most if not all of them end with said dragons using their own magic to blow themselves up in rather creative ways. My favourite one is about a thunder dragon electrocuting himself while attempting to light a simple candle... but I am digressing far too much: let's return to what I was saying earlier.

“Seriously though, this darn headache just won't go away...” the bird commented as she massaged her own head, still suffering from the wounds the last battle had inflicted upon her; “You really should rest for a while...” Lepris suggested, quite interested in the lady's well-being for some reason I could not understand “Maybe I could run the booth for a while until you feel better, if you want...”

“No way!” she stubbornly refused to accept my friend's proposition... until another sudden headache made her change her mind instantly “Alright, I give up... but you better do as I say, or else I'll be really mad...” she then allowed the rabbit entry into her stand and instructed him on how to sell her properties and at which price: only after doing so she finally left the booth, giving Lepris one last warning “And don't take anything for yourself, unless you have the money to pay for it!” I am quite sure the rabbit mumbled something under his teeth, but sadly I could not hear it... and thankfully, neither could Merle.

Feeling compelled to act like the valiant knight I was raised to be, I inquire the woman as we reach the main lobby “Is there any specific place you would like to go to that might make you feel better? I have yet to fully understand the layout of this edifice, but I can accompany you wherever you want if you so wish.” for a second I thought she had misinterpreted my words, since she immediately asked in return “Are you inviting me to a date or something?”

“Of course not!” I shouted in return, even redder than I usually am “I would never dare to ask a lady I practically just met-”; “Oh, come on! I was just teasing you!” the bird briefly laughed at my embarrassment before replying to my earlier question “I don't really feel sick any more... so why don't we go to the cafeteria? This way we can talk about what just happened over a cup of tea... and maybe a biscuit or two.”

 

**My name... is Red. I am a fire dragon, and the only survivor of the massive surprise attack that completely destroyed the capital of my kingdom. After meeting yet another one of Karma's agents, 'Felicity', the feral dove named Merle was attacked by some 'F.E.A.R.'s... and the cat prohibited any of us from interfering. In the end, Merle was almost killed... but Felicity somehow managed to enter the fray, allowing her to escape while she dealt with the rest of the monsters herself...**

 

Even though there apparently is a 'cafeteria' inside the building hosting this 'furry convention', Merle forbid me from stepping foot inside it, claiming that one of her friends who visited it the previous year almost exited on an 'ambulance'... then, after I told her I did not know what an 'ambulance' was, she said it almost sent her friend to a 'hospital'... let's just say it took me a while to understand the joke: apparently a 'hospital' is a place where the ill are sent to have their illness treated... something that we fire dragons would never need, basically. Almost all of us are capable of using their own fire to cure most infections and diseases, and the mages (or doctors, as they like to call themselves) back in my castle know decently-well how to handle anything else.

Oh darn it... once again, I am leading you astray: what I mean to say is, the dove did not want me to set foot inside that bar... which is why she instead lead me to another one almost right in front of the edifice. This 'Caffé Palazzo' place was made mostly of... glass, it seemed, and other more resistant materials that I could not discern: because of that, a considerable portion of the building, from the front side to the tables and seats and even the very counter the bartender served his orders on, was transparent... the rest, unfortunately, was disgustingly grey. Some other people, a few of which had come from the same 'convention' we had (as I could discern from their horrendously fake hide and scales), were also sitting at the tables, but none of them minded us as we ordered two cups of tea and sat on the last empty table for two.

“Do you really think that bunny can manage my booth? I'm sorry, but... he just doesn't look very smart.” Merle asks me a rather rude question, but I answer her nonetheless “You should feel sorry towards him, not towards me; answering your question, I met Lepris only yesterday, so I do not know him as much as I should... but I have faith he will surpass your current expectations.”

“Well, that's good to know.” she replies as she sips her tea before putting it down, claiming it's still too hot to drink; “This is one of the very few occasions I have to actually make some good money, so I can't waste any time... if I can't sell enough artworks, I might not even make it this month, what with the rent and everything...” I know nothing about this 'rent' she mentioned, but it is clear her very life depends on how profitable this day becomes for her... I truly feel sorry for her situation.

“Do not worry: you are a great artist, and I am sure someone both kind and wealthy will recognize your great talent and skill before the Sun sets.” I compliment the girl as I sip my own cup of tea; she then smiles meekly as she thanks me in return.

“So, you could see the monsters too, right?” Merle inquires more seriously, evidently tired of making small talk, as she drinks her whole cup of tea “Why didn't you do anything, then? I thought you guys were knights or something...”

“Technically, only I am a knight: Lepris is more like... a rather eccentric squire, in my opinion at least.” I reply while chuckling, before continuing on a more serious tone “Frankly, we would have both been more than happy to intervene, but we could not find a way to enter the 'Astra-grid' and so-”

“Astra-what?” she asked, confused by my words: I considered answering her every question as she asked them, but immediately opted to tell her the whole story in one piece, so as to not confuse her even more... it took me around ten minutes to tell her everything, from Karma and their agents to the 'F.E.A.R.'s and the 'Astra-grid'.

“So you're saying those monsters from before were 'F.E.A.R.'s?” she finally asked, apparently satisfied with my explication “I guess that explains why I've never been attacked by them before... but why did they attack me in the first place? Why couldn't they go after... I don't know, you, Lepris or those other guys you mentioned?” to be honest, I do have a theory: Dante said that I was going to make the people around me suffer... maybe that's what he meant. Everyone that I make contact with eventually gets attacked by 'F.E.A.R.'s... that would explain why Lepris got attacked by them even when I wasn't present with him: I cursed my own friend... with my presence?

“I have no idea: I am still trying to figure it out myself, but Karma did mention that they go after people who can 'change the world' or something similar... but I would not trust their word too much if I were you. The only thing that is for sure is that, now that you have been attacked by 'F.E.A.R.'s once, you are bound to get attacked again in the near future...” I decide to hide part of the truth, both ashamed of it and fearful of her reaction may she learn it... technically I am not lying since I am not too sure of it myself, but I still feel like a coward nonetheless. This is the opposite of how a prince should behave, especially with a young lady such as Merle.

“I... think I get it... kind of...” she sighs, clearly displeased with her current situation “I don't know if I can fight them though... I mean, yeah, I can fly and manipulate wind, but I'm as frail as a butterfly: you've seen how easily I got knocked down... if you guys hadn't been there to help me, I don't know how I could've gotten out of there...”

“You have no reason to be afraid: I shall make sure those monsters never lay their filthy claws on you ever again.” I reassure her, making her smile softly as a vague expression of relief appears on her face; “Thanks.”, she simply replies, evidently not used to this sort of chivalry.

“Speaking of your strengths and weaknesses, you held your own quite admirably before.” I point out, interested by the feral's battle prowess “You fight quite well, for a simple artist: when did you learn how to fight this well... and also, who taught you how to use your magic in the first place?”

My question seems to unsettle the girl quite a bit, but she answers it nevertheless “Is that magic? I never really believed in magic... but yeah, I found out I could do it, like... two years ago, I think, and I've been training my skills ever since. You know, for emergencies... like this.” I have a feeling she's hiding something important for me... but that may just be because of how little time we spent together: after all, Lepris was reluctant to answer some of my questions as well when we first met... and, in fact, as of right now he might still be hiding a few skeletons in his closet that I am unaware of... but I have no doubts that time will show both of them my sincerity and reliability.

“Ah, I see... and what about these 'ferals'? You yourself are one, and it seems as though you have met plenty others as well: could you tell me more about them, if you may? Everything you say might help my friend understand himself better...” I inquire, hoping to learn something interesting to share with my comrade.

“Well, I haven't met a lot of them...” she answers, diverting her eyes from me as if attempting to hide something “...But the ones that I did meet were... horrible people. Disgusting, despicable people... I really don't want to talk about them: they made me hate myself and what I am more than the rest of society ever did.” that is... definitely not something that would help Lepris whatsoever: should I hide this information from him... just like I hid my suspicions to Merle? Can I truly bring myself to harm my friends with the same truth I sworn to defend long ago?

“But...” Merle continues, a genuine smile on her face “Meeting Lepris and... well, you're not technically a feral, but you as well... you're making me realize that the world isn't as black as I thought. We haven't known each other for long, but I can already tell you're really nice guys... you protected me, offered to help me, genuinely cared about me... you're so much different than-” she suddenly stops as she turns towards the counter, inviting me soon after to do the same.

Sitting on one of the lone chairs right in front of the counter is what appears to be a blue, wingless dragon-like creature, its back turned towards us: the creature is quite similar to the other humans in the room in terms of body-size and the likes, apart from its clawed feet of course, and it's also wearing a dark-green and grey jacket with a 'hoodie', or at least that's what I think they are called, and long green trousers... is that another feral, I wonder?

“Hey, where's that drink I ordered an hour ago?” the feral, who I assume from the voice to be a male around the same age as Lepris, roughly shouts to the barmaid, who sighs as she finally finishes preparing a beverage that she immediately hands over to her grumpy customer; the feral empties his large cup in a few seconds, then hastily drops some silver coins and, curiously enough, some pieces of paper before jumping out of his seat and quickly leaving the locale, an angry expression on his face. Before he could leave, however, I managed to get a good glimpse at his face: his eyes are as green as his jacket and his jaws are as sharp as a dragon's, but his visage is much rounder than mine and his many orange horns are shorter and more curved than the few ones I have... he's most certainly not a dragon, but the resemblance is quite close.

“This is what I mean with 'disgusting' before... well, not exactly, but you get the idea.” Merle commented as she showed her pink tongue to the feral, who thankfully was too far away to notice her “What an arse... was he a lizard or something? Never seen him around before for sure...” she adds immediately afterwards, expressing a wide variety of concepts in a remarkably short amount of time.

“I'd say he's a dinosaur.” I hear someone say in a rather dark and serious tone from right behind me; both me and Merle turn around at the same instant, but only she is surprised to see the now familiar face of Dante staring at us soullessly from the table right beside us, holding a large cup full of a brown and white liquid solely with his left finger; “I'm sure Felicity could even tell you the exact species, among other things.” he adds a second later as he inhales the sweet scent of his beverage, evidently looking forward to the moment he will finally taste it.

“Hey, aren't you the guy who dragged me away before?” Merle inquires with a penitent expression on her face; instead of asking something related to his sudden and unexpected appearance, after receiving a positive nod from the man, the girl thanks him for his trouble, lifting a huge boulder from her chest “Thank you, for... saving my life, I guess. You and that girl... I owe everything to you two.”

“Pardon me, but I honestly do not recall you thanking Lepris the same way you did with him: after all, he _did_ help you recover from that terrible poison...” I point out, making the dove blush in utter embarrassment; frankly, even though I am trying to defend him, I cannot remember Lepris ever wanting to be praised, even when he offered the woman to work in her stead... Gods, I do not think I ever met a more selfless individual in my entire life. I should definitely do something to celebrate his exemplar behaviour when we return inside the conference.

My eyes return to face the man in black, who is now drinking his hot beverage with class, a somewhat pleased expression on his face; “Good Lord, how I missed my cappuccino. I'm honestly surprised I even made it through yesterday without drinking one... then again, that battle with that 'primal F.E.A.R.' really did get the adrenaline pumping in my veins...” he explains as he cleans his lips of some leftover 'cappuccino', already looking forward to drinking another one apparently.

“Anyway, you shouldn't thank me, but Felicity.” he then explicates with a different, more concerned tone than usual “She could use some compliments, for all I know.”

“I will, trust me.” Merle replies, already feeling much better.

“On another note, why does every 'feral' I meet have so much darkness in their heart?” Dante wonders aloud, catching our undivided attention “Lepris, Merle, that guy from before... even you, Red... you all have lots of dark secrets within your souls. Mostly bad memories, _really_ bad memories... but it's from bad memories that fears are born from... and from fear to anger the road is short.” he can see... my memories? Does that mean he can also see...

“And before you ask, yes, I can read your mind too. Sort of.” the human stops me from further delving into my psyche, explaining in detail “I can't read your thoughts like a book, but I can feel the same emotions you are thinking of, and the images you associate them with... kind of like a mute film. It's less complicated than it sounds like.”

“Hey, who gave you permission to read my mind you... goof!” Merle shouts, miraculously not attracting the attention of anyone else in the locale; “Asks the girl who posts selfies on Instagram every two hours along with some personal random fact about her life. Really concerned about your privacy, aren't you?” the human answers soon after, making Merle drop her jaw before explicating “Yep, not something that I wanted to learn but... whatever. Trust me, if I could control this power of mine, I would... but it's not always that simple. Sometimes you're stuck with curses you never wished for, and the only thing you can do about them is try and get some value out of them.” a quite interesting quote indeed... I should keep that in mind, I believe.

“Wait, can you feel this... feeling too?” Merle inquires as she puts her right hand right in front of her heart, and soon after both me and the human are forced to do so: we both recognize this oppressing feeling, and I am quick to deduce the reason behind it “Another 'F.E.A.R.' attack? So soon?” I inquire aloud, alerting Merle in the process.

My suspicions turn out to be true when everyone around us immediately disappears, transforming into almost transparent images in the background; “They're outside, we better move.” Dante commands us as we run towards the road in front of the bar, ready to face whatever awaits us: before engaging the enemy directly we decide to take shelter behind a nearby car, which allows us to scout the road ahead undetected... unfortunately, said road is now overwhelmed with demons and monsters of all kinds, who are strangely enough scratching the nearby cars and walls in frustration instead of... doing anything else, really. Most of them are goblins, but there are also some big ghouls here and there, a few squadrons of avians, a platoon of barrel-wielding imps and... a few unknown creatures, half snake and half unicorn, that could not care less about us.

“Are those seals? Or narwhals?” Merle asks as she points to the odd creatures; “Who cares?” Dante replies as he summons his guns and prepares to reveal our presence “We got bigger problems to-” instead of finishing his sentence, he makes a concerned expression before starting a new one “What the... sorry, I have to go.”

“Wait, are you serious? Are you leaving us to fight these things alone?” Merle inquires, visibly irritated; “Yep, that's the plan: there are tons of 'F.E.A.R.'s at the conference too, and some of them are attacking Lepris and Felicity... moreover, I can sense a whole lot of them idling around the building, probably waiting for something to happen... someone needs to take care of them. I'm sure you two can look after yourselves: you're too old for a babysitter anyway.” and with those... encouraging words, the human disappears in a cloud of black dust as I knew he would.

“One second, are those monsters... waving at us?” Merle inquires, her index finger (or maybe index feather?) pointed towards the unknown monsters we spotted before: the small group is now literally waving towards our position with their large, fat arms of sorts... and a few seconds later, the rest of the enemy 'F.E.A.R.'s turn to face us as well, ready to fight!

“They are not waving at us: they are alerting others of our position!” I shout as I jump out of cover, ready to defend Merle at all costs “Retreat is not an option, we can only fight our way through them: prepare yourself!”

 

[ **1-01 – Glorious Battle** – “Glorious Morning: Techno Remix 2.0” by Acrion, originally “Glorious Morning” by Waterflame (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PgsxlvgeQg>)]/[ **3-01 – Limpid sky -** “Light The Fire Up In The Night (P4 Side)” from Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth by Shoji Meguro, Atlus (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpM6wyE7Gx8>)]

 

I rush a nearby goblin group before they can react and quickly mow down every last one of them with a series of wide, swift slashes of my sword; before I can move on to a second one, however, a brainless ghoul lunges at me from long range, but my quickness allows me to fleetly hunker under it before impaling it with my sword mid-air from below, ending its existence in a moment's notice. Another ghoul attempts to repeatedly scratch me from the front, but I smartly use the dissolving, impaled body of the deceased 'F.E.A.R.' to shield myself from its attacks while I prepare a diversion with my free hand: as ghoul rips what is left of the body of its brother apart, I quickly stun it with a rapid fireball to the head, making it stumble backwards a few steps... only to be slashed into two perfect halves by my sword a second later, a disintegrating into nothingness soon afterwards.

I then hear movement on my flank, and spot the imp squadron taking position above some nearby cars, probably preparing themselves to shoot their poisonous projectiles when I will be more vulnerable... but I already suffered that humiliating blow once, and now I know how to make sure it does not happen again: “ **Volcanic Barrage!** ” I shout as fireballs are cast from my blazing body, directed towards the now fleeing devils... who are reduced to burning ashes a second later. I need not Dante's powers to know that none of the enemies I fought up until now will never return from the grave, that's for sure.

“Look out!” I hear Merle's voice yell behind me: at first I cannot understand what she is warning me of, but it does not take me long to see the entirety of the avian forces converging on me at once...

Before I can do anything about them, however, I hear the dove yell once again “ **Windgale!** ”: with the aid of her magic fans, she creates a powerful whirlwind in the middle of the enemy group, sucking almost all of them towards its centre and compacting them into an formless mass of goo that evaporates as soon as the whirlwind disappears; some monsters manage to escape from her powerful vortex, but we immediately fix the problem with a few fireballs and precisely-thrown feathers.

“Heck yeah! We rock together!” Merle shouts as she throws her arms into the air, ecstatic at our performance: I cannot afford to be as carefree as she is being right now, but I guess it's good to see her morale is very high.

“Wait, what are those seals doing?” she then inquires, once again looking at the mysterious creatures from before: they appear to be spinning their heads around, creating iridescent light circles with their sharp horns... before we can realize what they have in mind, they somehow shoot the light circles towards us, hitting us both before we have a chance to block or evade them. I am sure that attack hit me, but I was not pushed back by it at all and, furthermore, I do not feel any different from how I felt before.

“Wait, what did that do to us?” Merle inquires as she touches herself in various parts of her body, trying to find a cut, bruise, or anything that would justify the monsters' attack.

“I would like to know as well, but we hardly have enough time at the moment!” I shout as I point to an incoming group of goblins lead by a ghoul somewhat bigger than the ones that came before it, its claws ready to spill our blood.

“ **Volcanic Barrage!** ” I shout, trying to use my magic to end the battle quickly... but I cannot find the strength within me to cast the spell. “ **Windgale!** ” Merle shouts a second afterwards, failing to produce any sort of damage as well; “ **Blowing Storm!** ” she yells other words aloud, attempting to cast another spell that, just like the previous one, cannot become more than an echo in the 'Astra-grid'.

“They sealed our magic! That's what those monsters did!” I realize as I point my weapon at the enemy, a bit scared to engage that huge monster directly; “Ooooh... because they're 'seals'! Now I get it!” the girl thinks aloud as she shoots some of her feathers at the gigantic ghoul, who keeps advancing despite the numerous projectiles that get stuck in its forehead: the creature then lunges at us both, but me and Merle manage to evade the imprecise blow by flying far above the 'F.E.A.R.'s, safe from their senseless rage... but what can we do now? Fly down and engage them directly? Keep poking them from above until they are sufficiently weakened and then strike?

 

[ **7-01 – High Speed** \- “Ludicrous Speed” by F-777 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLNjP1vkyYU)]

 

A series of loud bangs echo in the air as the monstrous creature stumbles backward, hit in the head by small projectiles similar in size and shape to the ones Dante shoots through his guns: it appears as though the shots were fired by much smaller gun held by a woman with long green hair and an inexpressive look on her face... is that the same girl from yesterday evening? The one that came to our rescue during our fight with Lepris's fear?

The 'F.E.A.R.' eventually succumbs to the precise wounds the girl inflicted upon it with her small weapon, and disintegrates into shapeless goo after crumbling to the ground like a ruined castle; fearful the enemies might attack her instead of focusing their attention on us, I fall right in the middle of the enemy group, securing my vital space with my first strike and proceeding to eliminate the rest of the enemies from there. Countless monsters hit me from behind and the sides, but I bravely fight through the artificial pain in order to protect the woman who helped my friend in the time of need; meanwhile, Merle and the unknown woman do their best to snipe the enemies from above and from afar, significantly reducing the amount of... goo, I guess, that I have to spill.

“Enemies to the right!” the woman shouts as she points her weapon to the monsters that previously sealed our magical powers, who are now creating other circles of light to further prolong our tactical disadvantage: a couple of well-placed shots both from her and from Merle prevent the creatures from using their powers once again, and in doing so we both instantaneously regain those very same powers... which we subsequently use to make the battle much easier to win.

I almost feel bad for having killed those otherwise harmless monsters, who proved to be our biggest adversaries in this whole fight despite having done no damage whatsoever to either of us... but overconfidence has killed more proud warriors than any other blade in history, so I accept the outcome of this battle with pride and enthusiasm... just like the dove, whose cheerful expression and uncontrolled laughter have the strength of a thousand words of encouragement. Weirdly enough, the woman who came to our rescue barely reacts to our victory at all: she simply puts her weapon inside a sheath of sorts near her waist and beckons for us to join her in a post-battle discussion.

 

“That was... really brave, and really stupid.” Merle comments as soon as the three of us group up at the nearest walkway, evidently referring to my reckless assault from before “Don't know how to feel about that.”

“You did so to divert the enemy's attention, correct? To prevent them from attacking me, I assume?” the woman inquires, spelling each word methodically and without any discernible tone or expression in her voice; I admit that that was my plan, and she immediately closes her eyes as she responds “While I... appreciate the gesture, you have no reason to defend or save me from any problems I might face. Moreover, just so you do not make such simple mistakes again in the future, I will reveal to you that I cannot be targeted or attacked by the 'F.E.A.R.'s, no matter the situation: I am invisible to their eyes, and they cannot hurt me even if I was not.” an interesting reply, that's for sure... I am not sure whether to be more confused by her request not to be assisted in the future or astounded by her ability of being invincible to the 'F.E.A.R.'s: if only she had more skill in battle, and were not using a weapon that uses a full round of projectiles to kill a mere ghoul, she could probably take care of these monsters better than I ever could.

“Anyway, sorry for only asking now, but... who are you again?” the bird inquires to the lady who, instead of responding to the lady directly, turns to face me and says “Please forgive me for not telling you my name yesterday, there was no point in keeping it secret. You can call me Sophie. That is all you need to know.” she finally told me my name, even though she could have kept it secret... how curious.

Merle seems to be quite annoyed by the long-haired girl's antics, but instead of shouting at her as I expected her to she simply turns around and leaves, explaining “Whatever: I got to go back and check on my booth... assuming it's still standing in one piece. And you better pray whatever Gods you worship it is, Red.” her words remind me that we did indeed leave the 'Astra-grid'... but Sophie is still standing in front of me, as tangible as any other person is, meaning that she is now outside of it as well: any theory I might have had about her not being able to leave the 'Astra-grid' have been proven wrong... assuming I even had them in the first place.

“Are you not going as well?” Sophie inquires calmly; “I think so: I have to make sure all my friends are alive and well... and after that, there are plenty of things I feel like I need to tell them.” I explain as I think about Lepris, who is probably waiting for me as I speak.

“Friends...” Sophie repeats in an... almost sad tone, which I never heard her use before; I turn to leave, not thinking about it too much, but the girl immediately stops me after regaining her usual tone and composure “Wait. There's something that I should tell you. Something important.” I turn to face her and nod to her, silently explicating that I am listening to her “That conference you are all attending... something's going to happen to it soon. Something you do not want to happen. If you do not act fast when it happens, innocent people are going to die... or worse. It's your job to stop this catastrophe from happening, at all costs.”

“A catastrophe? What's going to happen to that conference?” I inquire, in vain: “Pardon me, but I cannot speak about it any further. I should not have even spoken about it in the first place. Forgive me, but you will have to figure it out by yourself.” she replies as she turns around and hastily leaves, confusing herself amidst a crowd of 'furries', as Dante called them, probably returning to the building hosting the convention; I briefly attempt to find the mysterious woman once more, but she seems to have disappeared from the area entirely... and all she has left me are a few answers, many questions and an ominous prophecy.

How does she know something horrible is going to happen to that convention? How does she even know I am attending it in the first place? That woman has helped me twice now, perhaps thrice if what she said turns out to be true, but that does not make her any more clear than Karma is... but the two of them do not seem to know each other: if that were the case, I am sure the cat would have warned me about her already as they did with their other agents.

No matter the answer to all these questions, I cannot do anything but listen to Sophie's advice and warn my friends about what's to come...

 


	14. Reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What gives you the strength to face adversities?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE DID IT, BOYS AND GIRLS! Chapter 14 is finally FINISHED! And before the end of February too! =3
> 
> Well, kind of: I am definitely not satisfied with how it is currently,and I think there are plenty of things I could have added, mainly descriptive sequences... but right now, they mean nothing. Now that this is over, I can go over the entire novel so far and make adjustments aplenty, which will undoubtedly make the novel much more pleasurable to read... and will also force you to read it all over again, if you do not want to miss important details that were either not present before or were changed in the process. =T
> 
> I am also thinking about adding another chapter between the seventh and the eigth, to further expand on the relationship between Lepris and Fortune... but all of this can wait. What do you think though?
> 
> Right now, I hope you will enjoy everything I have written so far, and I hope the end product satisfies your expectations.

Fearing that the catastrophe that woman spoke of could already be happening, I ran towards the edifice hosting that convention as fast as I possibly could, depleting all my stamina in the process: I would have much preferred flying instead, but I could not risk blowing my cover (and that of my friends, possibly) over something as meaningless as my personal worries.

As soon as I reached the staircase that led to the building, my ring shined once again, allowing me to see into the 'Astra-grid' even though I was not technically within it: the area around the hotel was littered in decomposing black goo, meaning that an intense battle had taken place there... or rather, as I discovered by looking upward,s towards the entrance of the building, that it was still taking place. A dark robed figure, which I immediately recognized as my friend Dante, was finishing off what appeared to be the remains of a group of 'F.E.A.R.'s with meticulous efficiency, slashing through the bodies of his enemies with his scythe as if they were butter; I briefly considered joining the fray, but then I remembered I did not have the ability to do so... and besides, the real battle was already over.

“You're late.” the man commented as he cut the body of his final enemy in half, causing him to slowly shift back to reality.

“I did not know I was on a time limit.” I replied, confused, while trying to remember if Dante had ever told me to be quick in dealing with my own group of enemies.

“You weren't: I'm just teasing you.” he immediately returned, just as serious as always. For someone who never expressed any sort of emotion, that man sure had an odd taste for unfunny jokes... I wondered if everyone else thought so as well or if I was the only one who did.

“Anyway... has Merle by any chance passed through here?” I inquired, a bit scared she might have been attacked by more 'F.E.A.R.'s on the way to her stand.

After thinking about it for a second or two, he finally answered “Yep, she sure has: she's with your friend right now, if you're wondering. Oh, and Fortune finally arrived too: I think she said she'd go help Felicity, and... well, I guess they're done by now.” the last words were spoken with a little bit of uncertainty, but he did not appear too concerned about the well-being of his friends: evidently, he had extreme faith in them... which was understandable, considering how powerful they both seemed to be.

Nevertheless, wasting any more seconds outside would have been pointless, so we both decided to return inside and head towards our respective partners: in our absence, however, the crowd of masked humans had somewhat grown, and making our way through that sea of people was definitely not going to be easy... and finding our friends, or rather a way to reach them, was going to be even more difficult.

“I think the path towards the 'Artist's Alley', or whatever that area's called, is pretty much overflowing with people: if you don't want to get squeezed, I suggest spending some time with me and the girls while the crowd disperses.” Dante suggested, just as annoyed as I was by that inconvenience; I was a bit disappointed by my impossibility to meet up with Lepris promptly, but those humans did not seem very eager to move to a better place to converse at... so I decided to accept the man's proposition, even if just to warn him about the things I had learned just minutes before. Of course, the idea of spending some more time with Fortune and Felicity was not unwelcome at all: I wanted to learn more about them anyway, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Dante swiftly navigated through the crowd all the way towards the centre of the room, where that big 'elevator' device stood: he then pushed me inside of what appeared to be a much, much smaller room and pressed a button on a nearby wall, causing some metal doors to close behind us, separating us from everyone else in the process. A moment afterwards, a somewhat powerful force gently pushed the whole room upwards for... roughly twenty seconds, I believe, before suddenly stopping. When the doors reopened, I was... surprisingly, not dumbfounded to find myself on the balcony on the fourth floor of the hotel: the miss and the girl were chatting a fair distance away from the elevator in a rather heart-warming way, a sign that led me to believe the two of them had not seen each other since a long time.

“Hmm? Oh, it's you guys.” Fortune greeted us as she acknowledged our presence; soon after she turned to face me with an ecstatic look on her face, before hugging (or rather, squeezing) the little girl as tightly as humanly possible and telling me “Look at her! Ain't she the cutest cinnamon roll ever? I've missed her so much!” although I had, and still do not have, no idea what a 'cinnamon roll' is, I believed poor Felicity would have been more similar to a sheet of paper if the woman did not cease hugging her at once.

“Fortune I... I can't breathe...” Felicity somehow managed to say, causing the lady to let go of her immediately “Oh, right. Sorry.” from her expression, she was anything but ashamed of her conduct: in fact, I bet she would have continued had the child's lungs been more resistant.

“So anyway, have you two already met?” Fortune asked me and the child right next to her, and we both nodded; “We only met half an hour ago, and we didn't speak for long because some monsters attacked, but... I can already tell Red's a very nice person! I bet he has a whole library of stories to tell me, and I can't wait to hear them!” Felicity explained, making me smile at her gracious innocence.

“Oh, I have plenty of stories alright... I am not sure you have enough time to hear all of them though...” I replied, making Felicity chuckle happily for some odd reason; “Oh, and since you mentioned that 'F.E.A.R.' attack from earlier: I owe you my sincerest thanks for saving that feral, Merle.” I added as I bowed to that brave girl, truly thankful for her assistance “Without your help, she would have surely perished... and that is a thought that still scares me immensely. Once again, both on my behalf and hers, thank you kindly.”

“T-Thanks... but I really don't deserve any praise...” the girl shyly replied as she buried her blushing face into Fortune's chest; “Really? Those monsters had already attacked this place just thirty minutes ago?” Fortune inquired baffled as she caressed the beautiful hair of the young child “What the Hell's going on in this place?”

“I have no idea...” Dante finally spoke, a slightly confused look on his face “...But I do have some clues: some malevolent people are lurking around the edifice, but they're too far away for me to read their minds...” as soon as he pronounced those words, my heart began pounding like thunders in a storm: that may have very well been the beginning of the catastrophe that woman, Sophie, had warned me about earlier!

“What do you mean with 'malevolent people'? Are they dangerous?” I asked, already prepared for a fight.

“Don't get so fired up: just because they have a lot of malice within them doesn't mean they're going to be a problem. After all, none of us are complete saints... well, most of us at least.” Dante briefly glanced at Felicity for some reason, before continuing “Look, if I counted every person who has even an ounce of malice within them in the world as an enemy, humanity would've gone extinct ever since I obtained these powers. I'm still going to monitor these idiots, but you shouldn't be too concerned by their presence, I think.” I supposed the man's words had some truth behind them... but I had a very bad feeling about that whole situation.

“Hey, where are all those people going?” Fortune asked as she pointed at the masked humans downstairs: they all seemed to be heading somewhere else in the building, kind of excited for whatever reason.

“Oh, I think I heard from a few of them before that some 'celebrities' of sorts are going to speak here shortly.” Felicity explained that weird situation to us “The main lobby will go empty soon... maybe we should use this opportunity and go see your friends, Red?” that was exactly what I was thinking... I immediately nodded in approval.

“Nah, I'm sure they can wait a little bit.” Fortune stopped us as she returned hugging the little girl “I haven't seen you in ages, dear! I want to learn more about what happened to you after we departed half a year ago!”; Felicity attempted to break free of the woman's embrace, but eventually she just conceded to her, a smile on her face “Alright, we can go see them later... I missed you too.” the tenderness between the two ladies melted my heart... it reminded me of myself and Sol, for whatever reason.

“You, on the other hand, should go immediately.” Dante told me as he distanced himself from the girls, and invited me to do the same; “Before you go though, is there something you need to tell me?” he added, suspicious.

“Could you not see into people's minds? I thought you had already learned what preoccupies me as soon as you saw me...” I replied, confused by his demeanour.

“I can only see others' evil thoughts and bad memories... I can sense something's troubling you, but I can't get a good grasp of what it is exactly.” he returned.

“No, wait... that thing you pointed out about Merle before was definitely not a bad memory!” I pointed out a flaw in his words “I have yet to understand what you two were talking about... but embarrassment is not that much of a bad feeling, that I know for sure.”

“Oh, that.” he shrugged his shoulders, just as calm as ever “I was bluffing, and she fell right into it. Very amusing.” his answer made me laugh for a while, but he did not even flinch at his own hilarious words “Now, what did you find out?”

It did not take me long to inform the man of Sophie and the unsettling prophecy she gave me... but, even though Sophie's words seemed to trouble the human as much as they troubled me, something else I told him appeared to be even more important to him than the imminent doom she had prophesied “You mean that that woman from yesterday evening was with you and that girl just a few minutes ago? Are you sure of that?”

“I am positively sure.” I answered, quite confused by Dante's question, before making a question of my own “Why does that trouble you though?”

“Again? But there were only...” he quietly muttered to himself before shaking his head and changing the subject “Nevermind that: this 'catastrophe' is much more important right now.”

“Indeed.” I nodded as I proposed a strategy “You must inform Fortune and Felicity about this, then you must keep those people you mentioned under extreme surveillance and be ready if some of them begin acting oddly; I, on the other hand, will make sure Lepris and Merle know about this impending doom and get them ready to face it, whatever it is... any objections?”

“None.” he replied as he turned around and walked towards his friends, who were looking at us a bit concerned; as the man began explicating everything I had learned to his comrades, I headed towards the elevator and went to find my own...

 

When I finally reached Merle's stand, I could not believe my eyes: more or less half of the dove's goods had already been sold, and a small crowd had gathered in front of the booth, meaning that the woman's profits had increased exponentially since we left. Merle herself, along with Lepris, was, for whatever reason... hugging complete strangers while another person stood in front of them with a phone, using it to flash light at them; soon afterwards, the two gave a painting of hers to the people they had embraced, then received some paper and coins in return.

“Amazing, isn't it? I was the one who gave the bunny the idea!” I jumped when I realized Karma had been standing near me the whole time, their usual grin printed on their face “With every purchase you get to have a photo of yourself cuddling those two furballs... free of charge! Oh, how I love exploiting people and their interests...” I was honestly surprised by the cat's cunning: they found a way to increase purchases without actually having to invest anything... other than their time, of course.

“That's... quite clever, actually. Merle must be overflowing with joy.” I congratulated the cat's initiative... even though I did not buy even for a second they had helped Merle out of kindness: perhaps I was being a bit negative towards Karma, but I knew they rarely had completely pure intentions...

“Alright, that's the last of 'em for now.” Merle said aloud as the last of her buyers left the area, clearly exhausted; nevertheless, as soon as she finished putting all she had gained in her large bag behind the counter, she literally flew into Lepris and hugged him so strongly she literally landed both of them on the ground... why was everyone around me hugging each other, I wondered?

“Man, I so wanna marry you right now... you can't even imagine how happy I am!” the girl shouted as Lepris gently moved her away from his lungs and stood up, blushing embarrassed “It was nothing, really...”

“'It was nothing'? I almost sold all my freaking stuff! You're a genius, Lepris!” she replied, making my friend blush even more; “Actually, Karma had the idea... I just did as they said is all.” the feral pointed at the cat, who smiled weirdly at the girl “Hi! I'm Karma! Don't mind me, I'm just a collective hallucination... or am I?” once again, Karma proved to be the less coherent individual in that already incoherent world.

“Al...right... I'll thank you later then.” the avian quickly dismissed the cat before turning to face Lepris once again “Seriously though, I'm sorry. I treated you like crap before, and you didn't deserve it. I shouldn't have judged you based solely on my previous bad experiences with ferals... really, it was dumb. I really, really hope you can forgive me...”

The rabbit did not seem to think that whatever the bird had said and done needed to be apologized, and immediately replied with sad eyes “You acted the way you did because of some bad memories... and I guess I did the same.” before any of us could inquire further about this detail, he continued “If there's one thing Red helped me realize, it's that I don't want others to be treated the way I was, or suffer the same I did... and I think you don't want that either. So, instead of suffering because of your bad memories... why not use them as motivation to help others instead?” neither me or Merle knew what Lepris was talking about at the time, but we did understand what he was saying... especially me: his resolve to turn his regrets into his strength... it was the same as mine.

“Anyway...” Karma interrupted us as they grabbed a fair chunk of money from the dove's bag and began toying with them nonchalantly “Since I had the fantastic idea of fan-servicing those furbies, I'm going to take a _small_ percentage of your dosh for myself...”; truth be told, I was not quick enough to see the dove launching herself onto the unsuspecting cat, throwing them on the ground just like she did with Lepris... only in a more aggressive fashion “Back off, you thief! This is my cash!”

Whatever the cat tried to utter in return was quickly silenced by the woman's witty responses, which in return drew a large crowd of spectators that were not sure whether to stop the fight or let it be. I remember some of them even calling it 'cute', which is... weird. Since when are fights between animals (or... pseudo-animals, in this case) supposed to be 'cute'?

“Hey, uh... maybe we should leave.” Lepris suggested, almost embarrassed on the dove and the cat's behalf “I... don't think there's anything we can do to stop them... and besides, we haven't had a chance to chat since morning. Wanna go to the cafeteria and grab a snack?”

“No, thank you: I already satiated my thirst and hunger some time ago.” I answered as we headed away from the crowd of onlookers; thinking my friend might have had the wrong idea, I quickly informed him I still wanted to chat with him, before adding “Besides, Merle told me the cafeteria inside this edifice gives people free rides to the nearest hospital.”

 

We eventually found a nice, quiet hallway in which to stay: nobody was in sight and, considering there was an event happening at the time, nobody was going to stumble on us either... which meant I could have explained Lepris what was going to happen without having to worry about potential eavesdroppers.

However, before I could explain him everything that woman told me, the rabbit quickly inquired me something completely unrelated “So, what did you and Merle do while you were gone?”

“Nothing important, trust me: we just went to a bar in the area and... well, I told her everything she needed to know about the 'F.E.A.R.'s and all that is related to them...” I answered, quite calm “Then Dante suddenly joined us, told us a bit about himself and... well, we had a quick encounter with another feral-”

“Another feral?” his ears stretched upwards, which I assumed meant he was quite interested in the subject “Did you talk with them? What were they like?”

“I think Dante described them as a 'dinosaur' or something along those lines... but no, we did not talk with him, although his demeanour gave us some insights about his personality. He did not look very pleasant, at all.” I explained, before suddenly remembering that part of our conversation when Merle told me about her past experiences with ferals: I was still unsure whether or not to tell Lepris about it, considering his... very frail character, and the repercussions my words might have had on him. Now that I look back at it, between me and Lepris, the weaker one was most definitely me.

“Is... something the matter?” the rabbit asked, his worried gaze making me fall from the clouds “There's something you need to tell me... right?”; back then, I was still unsure whether telling him was a good idea... but his concerned expression forced me to say everything without me even realizing it “Do you remember when Merle said she behaved the way she did because of her past experiences with ferals?” he nodded, and I continued “Apparently, she was not kidding: all, or at least most of the ferals she met so far in her life are... admittedly, not very good people. They actually made her doubt good, kind-hearted ferals even existed... but this should not stop you from trying to meet more of your kind!”

“I know... but you know what? It doesn't really matter.” Lepris replied with a smile on his face, surprising me incredibly so “Before meeting you, I wanted to meet new ferals because I felt alone, because I wanted someone to feel at home with... but now I realized that I already have someone like that: you. Sure, I've got plenty of other friends to talk to and be honest with as well, but... you were the first to accept me for who I really am, and that's more than I could ask for. What other ferals are like isn't important... it's interesting to know for sure, but it doesn't affect me at all. Not any more, at least.” he added while holding my right hand with both of his, a

Lepris's words truly astounded me: I never would have thought something so incredibly deep and true could come out of the mouth of an individual who I thought was, ultimately, quite frail despite his inner strengths. In fact, his words made me remember how much I valued our friendship, and made me conscious of how much he valued it as well... although something in his speech made me slightly uncomfortable, for some reason I could not understand.

“You are right: what other ferals do is none of our concern... our mutual friendship is all that matters.” my words caused him to lighten up even more, so I decided to reinforce the concept a little more “I promise you: no matter what happens in the future, we will always be the greatest of friends. Nothing more, and nothing less.”; even though my first sentence instilled joy in the rabbit, the second one was met with... shock and disappointment: Lepris's ears fell down to the ground as his expression turned into one of daze. He quickly regained his usual composure and laughed nervously as he replied “Oh, yeah... friends! Best friends forever... woo hoo!” his reaction seemed... a bit forced, but I did not notice it (or, perhaps, I only pretended to not notice it).

“Anyway, can I ask you something?” the rabbit inquired, hoping to change the topic of conversation “When I told Merle to use her bad memories to do good before, you... had a really weird look on your face. I-If it doesn't upset you, can you... explain why?”

“Had I, really?” I asked, not remembering if I truly had such a weird expression on my visage during his talk; after receiving confirmation from my friend, I explicated “Your words... they made me remember the reason why I fight. The reason why I feel obliged to helping people in need... the reason why I will never give up... it's not a happy story, but I will tell it to you if you so wish.”

“No, wait! If it's sad, you don't need to say it out loud... I don't want you to relive any painful memories if you don't have to...” Lepris tried to dissuade me, but I shook my head in disapproval and responded “A true warrior never lets his emotions hinder him in battle... and neither does a true friend in a conversation. I appreciate your care for me, but my past is not my burden: it's the foundation of everything I am now... of everything I will be in the future.”; my words seemed to have an effect on Lepris, who nodded in approval and kindly asked me to tell him what I hinted at before.

“This story... has a lot to do with my mother.” I began “Her name was Scarlet Blaze, and she was the queen of Flammaria back when I was a kid. She was a fair and benevolent ruler, one of the greatest my kingdom ever had... and a wonderful mother, as far as I can remember. Most importantly, she was a cunning general and a fierce warrior: for as long as she was in charge, peace reigned all over Draconia... but it was not destined to last forever. One day, back when I was nothing more than a whelp, my mother decided to go on a voyage to... Gods, I cannot even remember where: the point is, I foolishly attempted to come along with her... and she foolishly allowed me to, even though I had just learned to speak. We departed from the capital with more goods than necessary for a safe travel, and an entire legion of expert knights to ensure our safety... but it was not enough.” even though I promised myself not to cry, I could not help but shed a tear as my story went down-hill “A day or two after we departed, we were attacked by assassins: I was too young to understand what was happening, but I saw lightning aplenty, and my mother proudly launching herself into battle, my sword Justice in her hands... the only thing I remember before collapsing inside my carriage was an ocean of fire, as wide as the earth itself.” my story seemed to be scaring Lepris immensely, mainly because, he explained, he was imagining everything I was saying in his head, so I paused for a second to allow him to regain his composure before finishing my narration “When I came to my senses, the land all around the convey had turned into a massive graveyard: charred bodies littered the ground and rivers of blood coursed through the cracks in the earth, but one heart had yet to cease beating... my mother's. I ran to her and tried to help her, but what can I child do in such a dire situation? She was terribly wounded, and plenty of blood dripped through the cuts in her beautiful dress... but, despite the pain she must have suffered and despite death already calling upon her, she could not help but smile to me. She told me she was soon going to die, and that she was going to miss me more than her own life... I told her not to leave me, that I was scared, but she simply hugged me and kissed me on the cheek as asked me to tell my father he had been an invaluable part of her life... and then, she collapsed before her own sword, and before her own child.”

“That's... horrible!” Lepris almost screamed, crying almost as if he himself had gone through my ordeal “I'm so, so sorry for you... I never imagined you... lost your mother like this!”

“Do not feel sorry on my behalf, it will not bring you anything but sadness.” I said as I helped to dry his tears, a gesture he appreciated greatly; “So, what happened after that?” he asked, still curious.

“I stayed with my mother's corpse for the next few days, watching it burn to ashes while enduring hunger and thirst; eventually, we were found by a whole army led by my father, who had seen the battle raging from his castle and had set out to help us... needless to say, he arrived too late. I told him what had happened, and the words my mother uttered before dying, and... well, I do not think what happened next is relevant.” I finished my tale, before explicating what it meant for me “If only I had not been a weak child, back then... perhaps my mother would still be alive. It was not that very same day I swore to become stronger to protect those I held dear... but on the day I did, the memory of my mother was what gave me the strength to do so.”

After I finished my speech, silence filled the air for almost a minute. Neither of us knew what to say next. It was clear, though, that Lepris was thinking about something quite depressing of his own... but the only time I tried to open my mouth to say something that might have helped him cope with his inner pain, he signed me to halt. Whatever he was thinking, I thought, must have been very important.

Suddenly, the rabbit began crying once more as he embraced me: his hug was soft and warm, and it almost made me shed a few tears as well... almost; “You're even stronger than I thought... I wish I was even half as strong as you...” he cried, but I immediately replied “Your tears prove you are well past that point.”

We spent some time like that, embracing each other like my mother used to embrace me when I was a child (although it was quite difficult, considering that in his morphed form Lepris was much higher than me)... until we heard a loud noise coming from the entrance of the building, followed by shouts, yells and screeches all over the edifice: something weird was going on, and I had a feeling it was not a part of the convention.

I only realized what was happening when the door that led to the hallway we were in was busted and a small group of uniform-wearing, weapon-wielding humans ran inside hostilely: I did not know who they were, but they definitely were not there to enjoy the convention.

“Get down on the ground, and you may live 'till tomorrow!” one of them shouted at us, threatening us with his... 'machine-gun'? Gods, humans gave their weapons such weird names...

“Red!” Lepris shouted, fearing for our safety, but I silenced him with a sign of my hand and proceeded to follow the man's instructions... or rather, pretend to follow them. After quickly summoning some of my strength, I unleashed Hell on those pretentious bastards: “ **Fire Pillar!** ” I yelled as pillars of pure flame emerged from the ground below the enemies' feet, launching them in the air before dropping them on the ground, causing some of them to lay unconscious and others to roll on the floor uncontrollably, trying to kill the fire that enveloped them wholly.

“Is... is it a bit too late to ask you to not kill them?” Lepris innocently asked me, already fearing the worst for those clearly evil humans; “No.” I responded as I killed all fires in the room with the flick of my finger, not wanting any of them to die either... at least for the time being.

However, I could not risk having any of them get up and stab me in the back, so I proceeded to 'forcibly put them to sleep' with a few well-placed punches; as I did so to the last awake hostile, Lepris received a call on his phone, which he quickly passed to me, saying “It's Dante... wait, how did he get my number?”

“It matters not.” I replied to the rabbit as I seized the device and spoke “What is going on?”

“You know that 'catastrophe' you told me about earlier? Well, turns out you were right: the entire building is full of hostiles, and plenty of 'F.E.A.R.'s are roaming the 'Astra-grid' as well. We're surrounded... especially you. Multiple enemies are inbound on your location.” the catastrophe! I had completely forgot about it... and I forgot to warn either of my friends about it too!

“Darn it, where's Merle? Is she safe?” I inquired, worried for her well-being.

“She's under attack, but Felicity's there with her. She'll be fine... but you two need to stop idling around and start kicking some ass. Neither me or Fortune can get rid of all these enemies alone... in a timely fashion, that is.” he responded, evidently busy: from what I gathered from the sounds I heard from the other end of the call, Dante was evidently busy with the 'F.E.A.R.' menace... I supposed someone needed to handle them before they could do anything terrible.

“Wait, what's happening?” Lepris asked me, concerned; “We are under attack, that's what's happening.” I swiftly answered, before further clarifying “And we are going to strike back, right now.”

 


End file.
